Talk of a new Constitution for a new Republic is far-fetched. It defocuses an issue that needs looking into rather than bringing it closer to the discussion table. We shall not get a new republic by revising the Constitution. The republic is us. Unless we revise ourselves, the way we think, the way we act, our attitudes, we cannot change the republic.

There is a great deal to see in the mirror. As a people, we are extremely kind-hearted. We never turn a deaf ear to pleas for assistance, whether for needy causes in Malta or coming from overseas. Yet, in other respects, we are as egoistic as can be. That is evident, for instance, in the attitude to taxation.

Those who can evade paying their dues do so and brag about it. They are in a minority for the bulk of the people cannot evade paying taxes. But it is an important minority that denies the Treasury millions of euros each year. They do not stop to think that in the process they are doing those who pay their taxes a grave injustice.

We are, perhaps, not as bad as the Greeks, where tax evasion is one of the causes of the plight that country finds itself in. But we are not that much better though not only evasion is illegal but even avoidance schemes have a countering provision in the Income Tax Act.

Another example of egoism, despite our inherent kindness, is our attitude to public cleanliness. Our homes are kept in tip-top condition. But dumping still takes place regularly. We look to the public authorities to maintain cleanliness. But the first responsibility is ours, one many of us happily ignore.

At a more general level, in the way our democracy works, there are shortcomings that no changes in the Constitution can eradicate. Try to still the partisan genes for a moment and watch objectively the way our political class does politics. Spin and shouting are the order of the day, not an effort to convince with sound arguments.

A wider perspective shows that up more acutely. In the UK, the three main political parties have just finished the annual conferences cycle. We could watch the leaders’ speeches on the BBC World and Sky News channels. It was a breath of fresh air.

They took digs at each other, of course they did, that’s politics. But they generally wrapped that in cutting humour. And the main thrust of the speeches was on how they viewed society, where they wanted to take it.

The three leaders’ spoke calmly, only building up to a crescendo once or twice, if that in the case of one or two of them. I wonder if our leaders were watching.

Constitutional provisions cannot alter that. Nor can the Constitution go closer to home in respect of ministerial responsibility. Perhaps that is practised to an extreme in the UK. In Malta it is not practised at all. Not simply in terms of resignations.

Ministers, past and present, have political duck’s backs. They grab accolades but shy away from accountability. A leading minister has just expressed himself baffled by a frustrated suggestion that he accounts for the fact that public buses, part of his portfolio, were not arriving in reasonable time.

Constitutional changes, however extensive, cannot change that. It is the attitude and skin of politicians, sitting and budding, that must change.

No, a new Constitution will not bring about a new republic. That does not mean, however, that constitutional changes are not required. There has to be a meaningful discussion on what needs to be addressed after 47 years since the Independence Constitution came into being, even as amended to make Malta a republic and to ensure that majority votes translated into majority rule.

These latter provisions, above all, need to be replaced by clear provisions that relate valid votes to seats as near as possible to mathematical perfection. The politicians owe it to the people to act, not just talk and manoeuvre without end. It is high time that they found a way to move forward, on the basis of a new platform if they cannot agree on reviving the existing select committee.

I will not be sticking my neck out by much if I predict that it will not happen before the next general election, now not more than 18 months away. But, at least, it should be one of the early agenda items of the newly constituted House of Representatives. Nobody is winning out of the endless jostling. And democracy is losing out.