The government will be weakening democracy if allowed to choose the commissioner for the standards in public life on its own, civil society oranisation Repubblika said.

In a press statement, the group said that it "is very concerned with reports that say that the government is planning to change the law so that it can choose, on its own, who the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life will be."

In accordance with current laws, an agreement between parliamentary parties is mandatory in deciding who takes up the position of Commissioner for Standards in Public Life as they need to have a two-thirds majority vote.

"Now the government wants whoever monitors the behaviour of the Parliamentarians to have their trust only."

"Democracy is a system of rules that not only gives the majority the power to govern, but also gives the minority the duty and the right to watch over the government."

The Standards Commissioner is an officer of the Parliament and not a government official, the statement read.

The organisation said that Prime Minister Robert Abela's proposal to appoint the Commissioner for Standards in Public Life who is supposed to keep watch over him as though he were a person of trust in his secretariat, is not acceptable, as it breaks the trust in the independent institutions whose job is to watch over the government, it said.

Repubblika is urging the government not to impose "this anti-democratic measure" and instead encourage Parliament to seek an agreement on a suitable person for the position of Commissioner for Standards in Public Life who holds the trust of both parties.