Major constitutional reforms are immediately required for democracy to remain strong, Nationalist MP Franco Debono said yesterday.
Speaking on the adjournment in Parliament, Dr Debono said that Malta's constitutional structure needed an urgent upgrade to reflect current times.
The select committee on constitutional changes should be revived and if this was not possible another means should be found for an agreement to be reached on the essential changes which could be brought about.
Even the President of the Republic was taking the initiative to create awareness about this. As guardian of the constitution, the President was above partisan politics and it made sense that he spoke about the need of a reform.
Even the way the President was appointed was inadequate, Dr Debono said. A a resolution in parliament approved by a simple majority did not in any way reflect the country's highest position.
"We do not just need separation of power but also a balance between institutions," he said.
Dr Debono said that Parliament should also be given the soul it deserved. A law on the autonomy of Parliament was needed.
He pointed out that it was unacceptable that, in this day and age, political parties were the least regulated organs of the law. Democracy went further than an election every five years, he said, calling for legislation on party financing
Dr Debono echoed the call for better conditions for judges and magistrates.
He said he did not agree that the wages of the judiciary should be pegged to the civil service.
"We demand wisdom and there should be a package of conditions which attracts the best people possible."
Another point was that magistrates could not conduct inquiries and then also sit in judgement, he stressed.
He called for a raising of the retirement age of judges saying that because this was set at 65, the country was losing judges when they were at their best.
Dr Debono also spoke on the police force and said it was not desirable for the force to be de-motivated in this day and age. Pending issues, such as the possibility to join a union and payment for overtime arrears, needed to be settled.
A strong democracy, he said, required a motivated force and a motivated judiciary.
Constitutional changes, he said, should also be accompanied by a less polarised culture.