Putting MPs on government boards is one way of bringing Parliament “closer to the people”, according to the Prime Minister.
Joseph Muscat has shunned criticism of the proposal, which some believe will blur the lines between the legislative and the executive, saying MPs have in the past been given such roles.
In late replies to this newspaper, Dr Muscat said his government wanted to regularise the situation by giving MPs specific roles.
The commitment is to open governance
“No issues of breaches between the line of scrutiny and implementation were raised in the past,” he said, adding the proposal differed from the role of parliamentary assistants under the previous legislation, which “proved to be a total waste of time”.
“This is one of the ways this government is putting forward to open up Parliament, bringing it closer to the people,” he said.
The Government is pushing for legal changes to allow MPs the possibility of being appointed to state entities and authorities as chairmen or board members.
Public policy experts this week expressed concern at the move, which they believe will increase political interference in public entities, making them purely an extension of the government machinery.
The decision also goes against what Dr Muscat had said during the election campaign that he had no objection to removing MPs from the planning board if the Opposition agreed. Not only will those MPs not be removed, they will be joined by others in different boards.
But Dr Muscat avoided answering the question when asked to justify his latest move in light of this statement five months ago.
The Prime Minister also skirted a question on whether he had entered into commitments with individual Labour MPs on roles they will occupy once the law is changed.
“The commitment is to open governance and having an open Parliament, which would contribute to the people in every possible way by having MPs taking a hands-on approach to see the country moving forward,” Dr Muscat said.
However, he did not say whether the changes will contain provisions to have MPs from both sides of the House present on state entities or whether it will be Government’s prerogative who is appointed.
The justification given by Dr Muscat follows the same argument made by then Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi three years ago, when he created the roles of parliamentary assistants to quell a restless backbench.
The decision to assign backbenchers to individual ministries was not to muzzle them or keep them under control but rather for MPs to contribute more and make the government more effective, Dr Gonzi had said.
In the same period, then Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando was also appointed chairman of the Malta Council for Science and Technology.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com
Joseph Muscat has shunned criticism of the proposal to appoint MPs to government boards, despite saying he did not object to removing them during the election campaign. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier