Labour MP Glenn Bedingfield is right when he insists that the Commissioner of Standards in Public Life must lead by example. But surely he realises that the bigger responsibility for ensuring that standards are maintained falls squarely on him and the rest of the people’s representatives in the country’s highest institution. Likewise, the Speaker of the House of Representatives has a duty to make sure all honourable members behave in an honourable way.
Yet, Bedingfield and his government colleague on the parliamentary standards committee, Justice Minister Edward Zammit Lewis, seem to have made it their mission to undermine standards commissioner George Hyzler. They are aided and abetted in their baneful undertaking by Speaker Anġlu Farrugia.
Apparently, the government side is not happy to see the standards commissioner trying to raise the bar – he insists it is he who should decide whether and when to publish the findings of his investigations. Bedingield engaged in what Hyzler called a “violent attack” against him as well as suggesting that having a former MP in that position may not be ideal – Hyzler served as a Nationalist MP for eight years. Farrugia has accused Hyzler of belittling the latter’s office when he entered into a “public debate” with him.
Agreement with having a discussion on whether the commissioner should be a former MP came from Prime Minister Robert Abela, who, much like his predecessor, has a track record of defending errant colleagues and employing devious ways to delay action in the hope that all will be forgotten. Abela stopped short of directly criticising Hyzler, saying that one should always consider improvement in important posts such as that of the standards commissioner.
Going by the prime minister’s argument, should one also consider excluding former politicians from occupying other important positions in the country, such as the president of the republic or the speaker in parliament, both ex-Labour MPs? Yet, no one is suggesting they should not come from the ranks of former politicians. And there were no doubts expressed about Hyzler’s integrity and ability to act impartially when he was appointed unanimously by both sides of the house in 2018.
On the contrary, being a former politician could serve as an advantage. Greek poet and scholar Callimachus is quoted saying in an epigram: “Being a thief myself, I recognised the tracks of a thief.” Having been closely associated with other politicians for several years, Hyzler would no doubt be familiar with their ‘tricks of the trade’ and would be able to spot their sleight of hand from a mile away. This may point to the real reason why Bedingield and his ilk are worried about the way the standards commissioner is operating.
Rather than seeking to undermine the commissioner, Bedingield and the rest of his colleagues in parliament should be coming to his defence and upholding his efforts to hold them accountable for behaviour that breaches ethical standards.
This is if they want international institutions to believe them when they say Malta is trying to restore the reputation it once enjoyed (before Joseph Muscat and his cronies corrupted governance and put the rule of law in suspended animation).
As Hyzler himself has pointed out, in appointing a standards commissioner, parliament intended to convey the message that the political class wanted to be held accountable and subject itself to enforceable rules.
Given the predicament this country is in thanks to greedy, sleazy politicians, the commissioner deserves all the support he can get in his determination to raise standards and bring about change in the way the people’s representatives conduct themselves.