A ministerial pledge to ensure ambassadors and regulators are scrutinised by a parliamentary committee has been derided as "a joke" by Alternattiva Demokratika.  

In a statement issued today, AD noted that the committee announced by Justice Minister Owen Bonnici yesterday would have "very limited" powers, with the government having the final word and questions to appointees limited to spheres of professional competence.  

Dr Bonnici yesterday announced draft legislation to create a consultative committee which ministers would have to consult before appointing heads to regulatory bodies or high-ranking foreign representatives. 

Although the committee's scrutiny will be public, it can choose to keep proceedings secret and ministers will be free to disregard its recommendation. 

READ: Parliamentary committee to scrutinise appointees, minister announces

The Justice Minister described the draft law as a "first step" towards reaching EU standards. 

But that did not wash with AD chairman Carmel Cacopardo, who said the proposal was "still a far cry from what is expected in modern democracies" and would mean the committee would only be useful if "incompetent people" were designated for key roles. 

“We are told that appointments will go through a parliamentary ‘sieve’. But this sieve will have very large holes," Mr Cacopardo said. 

He reiterated his party's calls, included in AD's electoral manifesto, for parliament to be given the final word on appointments, with hearings made in public and without limitations.