A final decision about the composition of the new Broadcasting Authority (BA) board will be announced “shortly”, a spokesman for the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) told The Malta Independent on Sunday.
The three-year term of the outgoing BA board expired on 31 March, that is, six weeks ago.
The OPM spokesperson added that “the Prime Minister is in the process of consulting with the Leader of the Opposition in accordance with the Constitution”.
This was also confirmed by Labour party secretary-general Jason Micallef.
“The Prime Minister has contacted the Leader of the Opposition and told him that there are some deadlines at the BA which must be met. The consultation was made at the beginning of April,” Mr Micallef told The Malta Independent on Sunday.
However he could not confirm whether an agreement had been reached on the composition of the members of the authority.
“This is a matter between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition and is beyond my competence. As far as I know, the matter is still in at the consultation stage,” Mr Micallef said.
Article 118 (2) of the Constitution of Malta stipulates: “The members of the Broadcasting Authority shall be appointed by the President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Prime Minister given after he has consulted the Leader of the Opposition.”
The current BA board is composed of former chief justice Joseph Said Pullicino as chairman and Antoine J. Ellul, Dr Joe Pace Asciak, Dr Reno Borg and Mrs Rose Sciberras as members.
Last time round, the BA board had already held its first meeting on 11 April 2003, that is, a month earlier. Observers say this is an indication that there will be significant changes in the composition of the BA board.
The OPM would not comment whether there will be changes on the present board or not.
On his part, Mr Micallef said he would not know about the matter. “There are certain matters which remain at a level of exchange between the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition,” he told The Malta Independent on Sunday.
Another factor which has entered into the equation is the proposal made by Judge Said Pullicino in his message in the BA’s 2004 annual report, which was tabled in the House of Representatives on Wednesday.
“I reiterate my conviction that the time is ripe for a rethinking on the composition of the Authority.
“The practice limiting members to representatives of the political parties in government and opposition might have been acceptable before the advent of pluralism. Considering that parties have their own media structures, it is today anachronistic.
“It is conceptually jarring that the Authority, essentially a regulator, is made up exclusively of members chosen by political parties which, as media owners, are among those regulated,” he said.
The OPM would not comment whether the government was in agreement with Judge Said Pullicino’s suggestion, nor whether Dr Gonzi had made this suggestion to Dr Sant himself.
Asked whether the Opposition was in agreement with this suggestion, Mr Micallef said: “I do not know. To be fair, the BA annual report only came out on Wednesday and the suggestion to widen the composition of the board was only made by Judge Said Pullicino, not by a government exponent. This matter has not yet been discussed by the Labour parliamentary group.”
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