Ministers and their families are living in a parallel universe to that of the rest of the Maltese, the Nationalist Party said Monday. While Maltese families have to fend for themselves to secure a dignified income, Ministers look after their own.

Despite the fact that we are still in the first week of the new year, it is already clear that nothing has changed for Robert Abela's ministers, as Anton Refalo appears to have found a position for his daughter on the Board of Malta MedAir - a government company that charters flights from KM Malta Airlines.

Refalo's daughter, who is a student with no experience whatsoever in business management - let alone in running a commercial airline - was placed on this Board a few months ago on the direct orders of Minister for Finance Clyde Caruana, the PN said. She was appointed to the board despite the fact that there had been no resignations or new vacancies on the same board.

This news brings to mind the many occasions on which ministers or individuals close to the government handed out jobs, consultancies or more to their relatives or friends. The case of the phantom job in Gozo given to Clayton Bartolo's wife by his fellow Minister Clint Camilleri is still fresh in everyone's mind. The wife of the brother of Minister Jo Etienne Abela quickly found herself a position as the minister's secretary, despite this going against the code of ethics for ministers. The long list of relatives of individuals close to the Government who were given jobs with Heritage Malta is yet another example of preferential treatment, the PN said.

The PN said it expects a clear explanation from Minister for Finance Clyde Caruana that justifies the appointment of Simona Refalo, who is also the Labour Mayor of Xewkija, to this board.

The meritocracy that Labour has spoken so loudly about must not only be done, but must also be seen to be done. It appears that Labour Ministers have long forgotten what this word actually means, the statement concluded.