The Prime Minister has set in motion the process to appoint a new Broadcasting Authority board whose term of office expired at the end of 2015, this newspaper has learnt.
A Nationalist Party spokesman said yesterday the Leader of the Opposition was contacted by the Office of the Prime Minister on Monday to begin consultations on the board.
No complaints or alleged infringements brought to the attention of the authority can be heard before the board is constituted.
Broadcasting watchdog CEO Pierre Cassar told the Times of Malta board members could not continue to carry out their functions in an interim capacity once their term expired. Thus, while its administrative duties continued unimpeded, the regulator was unable to carry out its legal functions, including acting on complaints received from third parties or alleged infringements flagged up by the constitutional body itself.
The Constitution is clear that there must be a Broadcasting Authority
Among the complaints received by the watchdog in recent weeks was a protest filed by the Nationalist Party against PBS in connection with the Prime Minister’s controversial New Year message, which the party said amounted to partisan propaganda.
Also, both major political parties have complained of lack of balance on two successive editions of the morning PBS television show TVAM.
The appointment of the Broadcasting Authority is regulated by the Constitution. Members are appointed for a five-year term by the President of Malta on the advice of the Prime Minister after consultation with the leader of the Opposition.
“The Constitution is clear that there must be a Broadcasting Authority,” outgoing chairman, Anthony Tabone, said. “The consultation process takes some time but one would have liked to see it take place earlier. Presumably it wasn’t a high priority.”
Mr Tabone would not say whether he would accept to serve another term as chairman. He confirmed, however, that he had not been approached in connection with the post, which, he said, he would have expected to have been done had the government planned to keep him in office.
This is not the first time the appointment of the Broadcasting Authority has taken time to happen. In 2011, when the outgoing board was appointed, the decision was not before March as the Labour Party (then in Opposition) contested the appointment of the chairman.
Questions sent to the government on why a new board was not immediately appointed and when this was expected to happen remained unanswered at the time of writing.