Margaret Bianchi’s criticism of Martin Scicluna’s columnist style (April 5), and specifically the content of his feature on President George Abela’s refusal to sign the Civil Unions Bill, is unjustified on a number of counts. To denigrate Scicluna’s contributions as a load of opinionated pontifications belittles the function of a good columnist.

Some of our compatriots seem unaware that our President’s responsibilities are quite different from those of the Italian, French or American presidents. Our House of Representatives was modelled on the British House of Commons – the latter’s powers were derived from civil war which kept the monarchy only as a ceremonial figurehead rubber-stamping Parliament’s administrative decisions. When we declared ourselves a Republic, we replaced the British monarch with our president.

President Abela has argued for increased powers for the Maltese presidency but that would require constitutional changes. One may argue that our present system of government could at times amount, in practice, to a “parliamentary dictatorship”, but that’s how things are – we haven’t done too badly compared to some of our Mediterranean neighbours and some other European countries.

Bianchi’s reference (hopefully not with an insulting slant) to the “eternal perspective of those who believe in the promise of eternal life” also confuses secular political duties (improving the population’s earthly lot) with religious faith in an afterlife which should be an entirely personal affair.

Unfortunately, a combination of human hatred and gullibility has misused belief in a rewarding afterlife, as we’ve seen in the atrocities committed during the Crusades, Inquisition and by suicide bombers, both Japanese and Muslim.