Electing Speaker by two-thirds would be ‘dangerous’, Anglu Farrugia says

Electing the Speaker by a two-thirds majority in parliament would be a “dangerous” choice, Anglu Farrugia believes, adding it could “jam” democracy.

The former Speaker, who bowed out yesterday after his successor Carmelo Abela was voted in by the new parliament, was interviewed by MaltaToday.

“It would be dangerous… if they cannot agree on a two-thirds majority, democracy in this country is jammed. No country in the Commonwealth has such a system,” he said.

The Speaker is elected by simple majority, however, on Saturday, Abela, who was nominated by Prime Minister Robert Abela, received unanimous backing from both sides of the House. Similarly, Opposition Leader Alex Borg’s nomination for deputy speaker, Bernard Grech, received full support from both sides.

Asked what advice he would give his successor, Farrugia replied: “My advice to him is where he is unsure of something, he should stop and think and seek advice, and when giving a ruling, it should be unconditioned.”

The former Speaker said he had a “clean conscience” and no regrets on the rulings he gave in his 13-year span in the role. He insists, despite the at-times heavy criticism he may have received, none of his rulings were ever contested.

“I dedicated a lot of time to understand the facts, because anybody can put forward a narrative but a ruling is a decision based on procedure, applicable laws and facts. I gave around 300 rulings. Every MP has a right to dispute a ruling by appealing it. None were appealed and it is not because Anglu Farrugia caused anyone to fear doing so; they were not contested because the decisions were [correct],” he said.