An Australian citizen who “uses every possible occasion to promote Labour”, according to newspaper KullĦadd, has been appointed Malta’s High Commissioner in Canberra.

Foreign Minister George Vella nominated Charles Muscat – who has been representing Labour’s interests in Australia for the past quarter of a century – to fill the post for the next three years.

Sources told Times of Malta that the nomination was a big surprise for the diplomatic corps as “the Government could not appoint a more partisan figure in Australia than Mr Muscat”.

Mr Muscat has been living in Australia for the past 50 years. In the 1960s he was employed as the then High Commissioner’s driver and later opened a men’s clothes shop in a Canberra shopping mall.

However, Mr Muscat’s biggest passion was the party’s interests in Australia as he was appointed the PL’s official representative. In 2010, he was responsible for coordinating Joseph Muscat’s official visit as leader of the opposition.

According to sources, the Australian government was reluctant to agree to Mr Muscat’s appointment.

“Since it’s not normal for Australian citizens to be appointed ambassadors representing other countries in their own country, the Australian government was very uneasy with this nomination,” they said.

Asked to comment on concerns that this was a partisan appointment, a spokesman for the Foreign Minister played down the issue and said “only time will tell” whether Mr Muscat will be able to serve the interests of all Maltese.

He confirmed Mr Muscat will also enjoy diplomatic immunity, despite being Australian. He will be replacing Francis Tabone after seven years.

Mr Muscat’s official nomination was one of 15 made so far in the first list issued by Dr Vella.

The new ambassadorial appointments include several names associated with Labour.

Marisa Micallef – who for the past four years worked for the party after serving as Housing Authority chairman under the previous Nationalist administration – has been given the prestigious post of ambassador to the US, while Norman Hamilton – synonymous with Labour’s One TV – was appointed Malta’s top man in London.

The Government could not appoint a more partisan figure in Australia than Mr Muscat

Mark Micallef and Vincent Camilleri – who served as ambassadors to Washington and Paris during Alfred Sant’s administration – are back as Malta’s ambassadors for Spain and Paris. The same goes for Albert Friggieri who will be returning to Berlin.

Retired judge Joseph Filletti – a francophone – was nominated as ambassador to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg while Keith Azzopardi, an employee of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament in Brussels and close collaborator with Joseph Muscat when he was an MEP, has been nominated as Malta’s ambassador to Austria.

The overwhelming majority of the new ambassadors are political appointees who have been preferred over career diplomats.

The only diplomats to survive the intake are: Vanessa Frazier, who was transferred from Brussels to Rome; Pierre Clive Agius, who will shift from Paris to Warsaw; and Carmel Inguanez, moved to Tunis from Rome.

The Government also announced the appointments of Clifford Borg Marks as ambassador to China, Mannie Galea in Tripoli, Charles Stafrace in Athens and Carmel Brincat in Moscow.

Government sources said more appointments are expected in the coming days.

icamilleri@timesofmalta.com

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