Updated 3.35pm with Graffitti comment

Deborah Schembri has been appointed the new director-general of the Malta Developers Association, the lobby group announced on Tuesday.

The former Labour MP and junior minister replaces another ex-politician, former Nationalist MP Marthese Portelli, in the MDA role.  

In a statement announcing her appointment, the MDA described its new director-general as “a target-oriented person, known for her excellent communicative skills and calm demeanour.”

“The MDA is confident that Dr Schembri enjoys the trust of both its members and the general public and has full faith in her capability,” it said.

Schembri brings significant experience of Malta’s property and planning sector with her to the MDA, having served as parliamentary secretary for planning during her time in politics, which began in 2013 and ended in 2017 when she failed to get reelected.

She was then handed a consultancy deal at the Lands Authority which she had set up during her time as junior minister, serving as a legal counsel to the authority. She later also landed another consultancy job at the Planning Authority, another agency she led during her time as a politician.

The MDA said Schembri has now relinquished her consultancies with the government agencies.

Praise from Muscat, criticism from Graffitti

Schembri's former boss in politics, ex-prime minister Joseph Muscat, was among the first to publicly congratulate her. 

"I am sure that with her excellent analysis and communication skills she will help bring more rationality to debate concerning sustainable development in our country," Muscat said in a Facebook post. 

Activist group Moviment Graffitti were less complimentary, noting that Schembri had switched from being a government consultant to lobbyist "in the blink of an eye," much like her predecessor at the MDA Marthese Portelli.  

"Her presence in Malta's most powerful lobby group, especially given her knowledge and information about lands and planning in Malta, means this appointment is bad news for Malta," Graffitti said. 

Marthese Portelli quit as MDA director general to take up a top post at the Malta Chamber. Photo: Matthew Mirabelli

Schembri's predecessor in the MDA role, Marthese Portelli, had taken up that job within weeks of resigning her seat as Nationalist Party MP. 

She quit that job last week after just one year in charge to lead another lobby group, the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry. She will begin that job on June 1.