Lands Department reform is a fake, Nationalist MP says

The Prime Minister would retain “absolute power” when the “fake” Lands Department reform is pushed through Parliament, the shadow minister for planning, Ryan Callus said today. The government is to turn the Lands Department into an Authority but the Opposition has protested over the composition of its board, saying it will not be truly independent. Mr Callus observed that the government would be able to nominate MPs to sit on the authority’s board of governors – a move which goes against recommendations  by the Auditor General following two investigations into lands related scandals. “It is clear that the government has learnt nothing from the Café Premier and Gaffarena scandals and that it wants to keep forging ahead with this corrupt mentality,” Mr Callus said. A lawyer, architect and auditor who would sit on the authority’s board would also be handpicked by the government.  “How can these people be independent if they are handpicked by the government?” Mr Callus asked. The Opposition had proposed allowing professions’ chambers to elect members to sit on the board, arguing that this would ensure independence.  The Nationalist MP also observed that the authority’s chairperson...