Historian Henry Frendo has called for an overhaul in how State honours are conferred, arguing that such decisions currently hinge on subjective considerations with insufficient guidelines.
Prof. Frendo was speaking to Times of Malta in the wake of the controversy stirred by the government’s decision to reward certain individuals during the Republic Day honours, including 11-year-old singer Gaia Cauchi for her Junior Eurovision success.
The issue was compounded after author Alex Vella Gera refused his nomination for a Midalja għal Qadi tar-Repubblika, and university newspaper editor Mark Camilleri did not turn up to receive the honour, saying it clashed with his agenda.
Earlier this month, Parliament approved amending the Ġieħ ir-Repubblika Act, with the government saying it wanted to allow more people to be honoured.
We have gone from one extreme to the other
An overall cap of 125 recipients of the Midalja għal Qadi tar-Repubblika was removed, while retaining the proviso that no more than 10 could receive it per year.
The Opposition voted against, arguing it would undermine exclusivity of the title and would ultimately backfire.
The law states candidates have to be proposed by a nominations committee appointed by the Prime Minister and chaired by the Cabinet secretary. The next step would be for Cabinet to make recommendations to the President, who would have the final say.
In the case of the Midalja għal Qadi tar-Repubblika, the Act states that this may be conferred to any Maltese citizen for distinguished service to Malta.
Prof. Frendo argued such a definition was too broad, as such honours should be awarded either for a lifetime achievement or some heroic deed.
The historian, who in 2010 was conferred the rank of Officer of the National Order of Merit, expressed grave reservations about some of the nominees for State honours.
He called for clear parameters to ensure only those fit enough were nominated. Prof. Frendo also made the point that there was no obligation to nominate the full 10 people each year for the Midalja għal Qadi tar-Repubblika.
Former minister and columnist Michael Falzon said that rather than removing the cap completely, it might have been better to raise it.
However, he argued that such honours are always subjective: “Every country has its own ways to honour those citizens who have distinguished themselves, but the norm is that every case is judged on its own merit rather than having well-defined criteria.”
Commenting on the local context, he said it may well be the case that “we have gone from one extreme to the other”.
Columnist Martin Scicluna, who chairs the Today Public Policy Institute, told Times of Malta that having no limit on recipients may not devalue this honour asit all depended on the level of the nominees.
On the other hand, he acknowledged there was a risk that “the higher the number, the lower the standard”.