Fi stqarrija dwar bidla fil-mod kif isiru ħatriet pubbliċi, iċ-Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika Carmel Cacopardo qal: ”Il-pass li ħabbar Owen Bonnici li l-Gvern ser jitlob il-parir ta’ kumitat parlamentari qabel ma jagħmel numru ta’ ħatriet hu pass żgħir ‘il quddiem. Avolja hu ferm ‘il-bogħod milli wieħed jistenna fid-dinja demokratika.”
“Il-liġi proposta għadna ma rajnihiex u għalhekk dak li nafu huwa biss dak li qal Owen Bonnici. Skont Bonnici, il-Gvern, se jibqa’ jkollu l-aħħar kelma, imma se jfittex il-parir ta’ kumitat parlamentari qabel ma jagħmel ħatriet politiċi ta’ ambaxxaturi u ċ-Chairpersons ta’ numru ta’ entitajiet pubbliċi. Dan hu tajjeb imma imbagħad, dejjem skont ma qal Owen Bonnici l-iskrutinju li jista’ jsir mill-kumitat parlamentari hu wieħed limitat ħafna. Għax jista’ jsir biss bil-miktub u se jkun limitat dwar kompetenza professjonali.”
“Din il-limitazzjoni fil-poteri ta’ skrutinju hi daħq fil-wiċċ u jfisser li fil-prattika l-iskrutinju li jista’ jsir hu limitat ħafna u ftit li xejn jista’ jservi ħlief fejn ikunu nominati persuni inkompetenti.”
“L-għarbiel ta’ Owen Bonnici għandu toqob kbar, li minnu jgħaddi kważi kollox. Fil-Manifest Elettorali tal-aħħar elezzjoni (u anke f’dak ta’ qabilha) Alternattiva Demokratika ipproponiet miżura ferm iktar effettiva, li l-Parlament (jew il-kumitati tiegħu) jiddeċiedi u mhux sempliċiment jagħti parir. U biex jagħmel dan għandu jgħarbel sewwa permezz ta’ skrutinju pubbliku (public hearing) mingħajr limitazzjoni.”
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Public appointments: a sieve with large holes
AD Chairperson Carmel Cacopardo commented on Minister Owen Bonnici’s plans for a change in the procedure for public appointments. Cacopardo said:”The step Owen Bonnici announced that the government will seek the advice of a parliamentary committee before making a number of public appointments is a very small step forward. It is still a far cry of what is expected in modern democracies.”
“The proposed law has not been published yet and so all we know is based on Owen Bonnici’s declarations. According to Bonnici, government, will continue to have the last word, but will seek the advice of a parliamentary committee before making political appointments of ambassadors and the chairmen of a number of public entities. This is a small step forward, however the scrutiny that parliament will be empowered to make seems very limited. Questions can only be sent in writing and will be limited only to professional competence.”
“These limitations on parliamentary powers of scrutiny is a joke and means that in practice the scrutiny which can be done is very limited and will hardly serve its purpose unless the designated persons are incompetent people.”
“We are told that appointments will go through a parliamentary ‘sieve’. But this sieve will have very large holes.”
“In the recent election’s manifesto (and even in that of the election before it) we Greens proposed a much more effective policy, that is that parliament (or its committees) decides and not merely advises on public appointments through a public hearing and without limitations.”