A newly set-up committee in Malta’s Cabinet is working to address the country’s good governance issues immediately, Prime Minister Robert Abela has revealed.

“This is not something that is being forced upon us, but something we are convinced of because good governance yields economic growth and stability,” Abela told a crowd in Bormla.

Chief among them is a new method in appointing the country’s police commissioner. Lawrence Cutajar recently resigned from the post following years of call for him to step down from the role.

A commission is also going to be set up within the Labour Party, to ensure that their members’ behaviour followed the values of the party.

Abela was delivering his first address as Prime Minister in the locality. His wife, Lydia, is from there, with Abela recently revealing he will contest in that district (District 2)from now on.

On the cabinet itself, he stressed that painful decisions needed to be taken for talented members of the parliamentary group to step forward. Bormla forms part of the same district that elects Joe Mizzi, the Labour Party stalwart who missed on a cabinet post after previously serving as Energy Minister.

Abela also gave some indication of his economic vision for the country, which in effect seems a continuation of his predecessor Joseph Muscat’s policy.

In the meeting, he did stress the importance of the environment and social justice, but also reiterated the Labour Party’s commitment to the business community, stressing that you need to generate profits to address the issue.

The new Prime Minister stressed the importance of balance between all parties, a line often spouted by his predecessor.

He also reiterated his commitment to ensuring that a parliamentary gender quota mechanism is introduced by the next general election. Abela insisted that female parliamentary representation was far too low, with only three female Labour MPs, following Helena Dalli’s appointment to EU Commissioner.

All three women, Gozo Minister Justyne Caruana, Tourism Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli, and Parliamentary Secretary for Reforms and Good Governance, are part of the cabinet.