I have had the privilege to pilot various laws which are deemed to be important and bold.  Only a few weeks ago, I was moving a bill which will create a grilling mechanism on the main Government appointments.  But nothing has given me as much satisfaction as the new media law which will turn Malta into one of the most progressive countries in Europe in so far as journalistic freedom of expression is concerned.

In the beginning of the second reading I tried to – as much as possible – stick to the changes we are undertaking and listed 18 major reforms which this new media law will usher in.  The reason was to inform the public, more than anything else, about the changes that we are pushing through: important changes which will change the media world as we know it.

Unfortunately, for one reason or another, some of the independent media did not seem very interested in what I had to say. This newspaper, for instance, did not report anything at all and focused instead on former Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil’s speech.

I am not saying that Busuttil does not merit to be reported, or that in a way or other I expect to interfere in what this paper covers or not.  It is of course up to them.  But it does leave a sense of total one-sidedness in the reader's mind.  In all honesty we are completely accustomed to this sort of treatment and therefore there was absolutely nothing new in that.

What was completely rich is Busuttil's assertion that the Government has bought the independent media through advertising.  This is a very serious allegation.  I immediately asked him to name which independent media we have bought and he did not reply.  Instead, he decided to stick to his usual desperate and pathetic rants which characterised his leadership of the party and which led him to lose the elections with the greatest margin ever since Independence.

Had I come up with that stupid statement, had I said that the Opposition has bought the independent media through some means or another, my face would have been plastered everywhere in the independent media by now and would have been called all sorts of names in the commentaries.  But I guess this is part of life.  

Being on the Government's benches and being on the Opposition's benches does not afford you the same treatment by the independent media, including this newspaper.

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Prime Minister Joseph Muscat also contributed to the debate.  He chose, very wisely in my opinion, to focus on the changes we have undertaken to the three organs of the State and the fourth pillar. 

He stressed how oversight has increased in so far as the Executive is concerned with the new impetus to take on board the recommendations which the Auditor General gives from time to time.

In so far as the Legislative is concerned, he pointed out that after repeated calls by successive Speakers, we now have full autonomy of the House of Representatives – a step which was undertaken under the current Labour Government.

With regards to the judicial organ, he underlined that for the first time in Maltese history, we have reformed – through Constitutional amendments which were unanimously approved by both sides of the House – the method of appointment of the Judiciary.

As regards the fourth pillar, the new Media Bill is testament to how much we’ve achieved in such a short time.  It is an exercise, as Joseph Muscat called it, whereby the Government gives to society rather than the inverse (idghajjef idejh flok isahhah idejh).

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The debate so far was, to be honest, quite constructive.  Most of the members of the Opposition decided to, most predictably, repeat most of the criticism which we have been hearing incessantly for the past year or two.  Others, particularly Karol Aquilina, stood out for their well-researched contributions and well-structured arguments.

On the Government's side there were speakers who were really good.  Some of them even witty and good humoured.  At one point Opposition spokesperson Ryan Callus , who disappoints me immensely because all in all I am sure that he is very intelligent and smart, was speaking about the multiple libel cases which the db Group had instituted against Daphne Curuana Galizia (incidentally the new Media Law actually legislates against this sort of practice).

Callus said, at the top of his voice, words to the effect that the Government's side knows pretty well who the people behind db Group are.  Immediately Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi said: “you know them better than us cause they used to pay your wages!”

I love this sense of confidence which is building within the Government's Parliamentary Group.  Not arrogance.  But that sort of confidence which gives you the elbow room to pass a witty statement or two.

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The new Media Law has been described as avant-garde by the Opposition and remarkable and very important by OSCE Media Office.  People from different walks of life have privately emailed me to congratulate us for the courage we shown to give more to society and less to “us politicians”.

Indeed the changes are far reaching.  We are removing completely all sort of criminal action against journalists, allowing instead people to resort to civil remedies in case they feel that their reputation has been adversely affected.

Also, we are leaving the registration requirement for editors on a voluntary basis in so far as the traditional media is concerned. 

For this bill to work we have to instil a new culture in our country – a culture of tolerance and a new mental process controversies are to be resolved in a way completely different to what we were accustomed so far

 

Editor’s note: It must be pointed out that Minister Bonnici was given ample coverage by this newspaper and our news portal when he launched the revamped media bill alongside Education Minister Evarist Bartolo. That report was carried on the front page the following day.

The minister also claims that being on the government benches does not afford him the same treatment in this newspaper. We believe that the fact that we have agreed to give the minister a weekly opinion page speaks for itself.