The Nationalist Party has called on the new head of the civil service to sever all ties he has with the Labour Party.
In a statement signed by Darren Carrabott, shadow minister for the public administration, the PN observed that Tony Sultana, the new principal permanent secretary, had an active role in the Labour Party in several general elections and he heads the party's information and technology system.
His appointment, it said, flew in the face of appeals by the Ombudsman for the public service to be rebuilt as a professional organisation based on meritocracy where civil servants served the people without fear or favour.
The PN said that for now it was giving Sultana the benefit of the doubt and was urging him to be truly impartial and not politically partisan in his decisions
However the government needed to realise that if it continued to make appointments such as this, the country would not emerge from the culture of fear, vindictiveness and favouritism in the operation of the public service.