Opposition had agreed to both ombudsman, Standards Commissioner nominations – PM

The opposition had agreed on both names submitted for the positions of commissioner for the standards in public life and ombudsman, but have now expressed themselves to the contrary, Prime Minister Robert Abela said.

We had a deal, but the Nationalist Party went back on its word, Abela said. When he and Grech met, Abela said, the PN leader had told him that while he would rather the two candidates be nominated in opposite roles, that is Zammit McKeon as Standards Commissioner and Azzopardi as Ombudsman, he could nonetheless “live with the chosen names”.

“I was sure at this point that we were on track to finding a consensus, and two days later, when he replied in writing, he said the same thing, that he would have preferred it if the roles were switched, but that he could live with it,” Abela said.

But Grech had later changed his mind, probably because of internal pressure from his MPs. And now the Opposition was officially backing Zammit McKeon as ombudsman but not Azzopardi as Standards Commissioner.

Abela told Parliament that he wanted to be clear as to why he had presented two motions with two different names to fill two very important positions on Friday, “even though I could have just presented one”.

Abela said that the government believes that both positions should “start with a fresh cycle.”

“I have taken these decisions because we want the best for our institutions”.

He said that when the Opposition Leader was invited to present names, the ones he gave were not fit for the position as they were far from “impartial and qualified.”

Abela said that when it came to taking a decision, the PN took a stance where it was “either as we say or nothing,” behaviour which he described as being arrogant, reflecting the same attitude the

Nationalist Party showed when in government before 2013.

“An hour ago I heard the Opposition Leader say that for us (the government) democracy means nothing.”

He reminded Grech how members of the opposition were present when these important decisions were being taken, “but did not invite their leader.”

After giving a brief biography of the two former judges, the PM confirmed that these were the best “human resources for the country,” as they did not engage in any work related to the field for a while, and could thus practice impartiality on a higher level.

Regarding the anti-deadlock voting mechanism which the government is going to put forward through a legal amendment, Abela said that this was not the first time it was recommended. This amendment means that the government can move ahead with a simple majority if no agreement is reached with the Opposition on the naming of people for positions who, as of now, require a two-thirds majority approval from Parliament. Even the Venice Commission had recommended that such a mechanism is put in place.

But the opposition is now expressing itself against the idea, even though its former leader, Simon Busuttil, had been in favour in 2016.

He concluded by saying that the nation knows that the Labour Party leads with good governance as it believes in its independent institutions that work and are bringing stability to the country.

In a statement, the Nationalist Party said it had never agreed to the appointment of Azzopardi as Standards Commissioner.