Let me start by putting a number of questions about an imaginary scenario.

What would you say if this evening Government issues a press statement saying that the law regulating the appointments of directors on government owned entities will be changed so that the Opposition will be given the right to nominate a director on each board?

Will you say that this is a welcome step in the direction of actualising the slogan Malta taghna lkoll?

Will you say that this proves once and for all how abysmally mistaken was Prof Mark Anthony Falzon when he wrote in The Sunday Times (31 March 2013, p. 20) that ‘Malta taghna lkoll is a sham’?

Would you also criticise this and last Sunday’s editorial of The Sunday Times which was saying something similar to what Prof Falzon has written?

But let us now image the Nationalist opposition would refuse to nominate directors. Would that be a sign li ‘ma jitghallmu qatt’? Would it prove that they are a negative opposition? Or would you say that perhaps they have a valid point?

Let’s take this line of argumentation a bit forward.

Let us image that by some strange miracle the Labour government resigns within a year and by some sort of a miracle the Nationalists are elected. (Ok, stop laughing, this is only an exercise in mental gymnastics.) Let us say that one of the first steps of the Nationalist administration would be to abolish the Opposition’s right to nominate a director on every board of directors.

What would say? Would you say that this proves that the Nationalists have vindictiveness embedded in their DNA? Would you describe this as a return to tribal politics? Or would you say that perhaps they have a point?

Let me now state some facts.

1. The Nationalist Government led by Dr Eddie Fenech Adami, during the 1992 term of office, enacted a law giving the Labour opposition the right to nominate a member of the board of directors of Government entities. This was called the Opposition Nominee Act.

2. The Labour opposition did not nominate members.

3. When the Labour Party won the election of 1998, the Nationalist Party used its right to nominate members.

4. A few months after its election – I think it was June or July 1997 -, the Labour Government passed through Parliament the Opposition Nominees (Repeal Act).

If I remember correctly those who were already nominated on boards were given the order of the boot. However, I would like someone to check that one out.

As the title says these are just questions and facts. There are no comments.

Just one final question: what should be the way forward for membership of boards and commissions of persons with different political beliefs; that is, if there should be a way forward?

But I will write more on this subject some other time.