Prime Minister Robert Abela together with the Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela chaired a meeting of the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development, the MCESD, during which he listed the hard work that this government has done over the last few months in the area of governance and the rule of law.
“From the very beginning of my leadership at the helm of the country, I sent a clear and unequivocal message that good governance would be a top priority for my government. Among the first decisions I took was the appointment of a minister in the cabinet whose responsibilities are to strengthen the rule of law and governance, “said the Prime Minister.
During the MCESD meeting at MCAST, the Prime Minister had the chance to hear from all social partners about their views in the area of good governance.
Dr Abela said that this government did not hesitate to introduce changes that put more scrutiny measures, checks and balances on every institution in our country, including the members of the executive, while continuing to release powers that no one had ever seen before. ready to leave his hands.
“In the vision I have launched for our country for the next ten years, I have stressed that good governance is a fundamental foundation through which I believe it can lead to a better quality of life for our people,” said the Prime Minister.
Reference was also made to a broad consultation process that led this government to submit to the highest institution of our country major reforms that were welcomed by various institutions, including the Venice Commission and the European Commission.
Prime Minister Robert Abela mentioned the new way of appointing the next President of the Republic and how to strengthen the independence of the judiciary, where for the first time in Constitutional history, the Prime Minister hands over all power to appoint a chief judge and prospective judges on the bench of the judiciary.
“We have strengthened the Committee on the Appointment of Judges and introduced a system of continuous public call for vacancies in the judiciary. We have completely ruled out the possibility of having candidates appointed directly by the government. We have opened the Office of the Attorney General from that of the State Attorney, we have strengthened the Office of the Ombudsman where this role has now been enshrined in the Constitution of our country, while empowering the Standing Commission Against “Corruption so that where you find corrupt conduct, it is sent directly to the Public Prosecutor,” said the Prime Minister.
Dr Abela assured MCESD members that reforms will continue, including in the fight against organized crime and money laundering. At the same time, note how the reforms undertaken in the Police Force are leading to concrete results.
On Moneyval, the Prime Minister said that in recent months intensive work has continued for the country to reach the set goals
Dr Abela reiterated that the pace of fruitful reforms undertaken by the government in recent months will continue with the aim of creating new and sustainable prosperity.
The Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Carmelo Abela, responsible for social dialogue, stated in his speech how this administration was the first to take the issue of governance seriously and passed on the words for the facts. Explain how it is not enough to change the laws but to give the tools and resources, both human and financial resources.
MCESD chairman James Pearsall argued that governance is something dynamic and that it does not involve government exclusively, but is a living, ongoing process that involves everyone from top to bottom, and from bottom to top. In this context, Mr Pearsall stressed that the importance of social dialogue in this process should therefore be emphasized.
