Updated - Includes minister's comments below - Nationalist MP Clyde Puli this morning explained why action should be taken immediately to ban the burka and similar attire which hides the face.
Speaking in Parliament, he said clearer legislation against the wearing of the burka and similar clothing was needed because of a genuine concern for the safety of people, the dignity and freedom of women, and the lack of confidence which anonymity bred.
This objection, Mr Puli said, had nothing to do with racism, religious hatred, a lack of humanity or insensitivity for people in need of help.
Legislation already existed against people hiding their face and there should be no exceptions to this rule.
One could not even drive a private car with tinted class concealing the passengers inside. Nor could one wear a crash helmet unless he was driving a motorcycle. The same principle applied in all circumstances, he said.
Concerns about safety did not disappear if one dressed in a certain manner for religious reasons. Permitting the wearing of the burka would "give normality" to hiding one's face.
Furthermore, he viewed the wearing of the burka as a threat to the dignity of women in a country such as Malta which had worked hard for such dignity.
Some argued that the burka was worn out of choice. But it was equally true, Mr Puli said, that in many case this was an imposition, at least culturally.
"The burka is incompatible with our values of freedom and this tradition should not be imported under one excuse or other of freedom of the person," Mr Puli said.
The burka is incompatible with our values of freedom and this tradition should not be imported under one excuse or other of freedom of the person
No society could flourish without freedom and confidence, but the burka was about anonymity.
The burka and similar attire should be banned in the same way as nobody was allowed to cover his face, Mr Puli said. Action should be taken now, when numbers were small, and before racism reared its head.
If a country such as France, a cradle of freedom had imposed such a ban, he could not see why Malta did not take similar action. The burka is the most concealing of all Islamic veils. It is a one-piece veil that covers the face and body, often leaving just a mesh screen to see through. The niqab is a veil for the face that leaves the area around the eyes clear
Mr Puli also called for further action to promote integration.
MINISTER: GUIDELINES BEFORE THE CABINET
Replying, Civil Liberties Minister Helena Dalli said one could not be in a society such as Malta with a hidden face.
"We want an open, integrated, democratic society" the minister said.
We want an open, integrated, democratic society- Minister
The issue was not about banning the burka because the law against covering one's face already existed, she said.
But the police in February 2013 had issued a circular where people were not fined for wearing the Burka because the law was said to be unclear.
Guidelines have since been drawn up and are before the Cabinet.
See also: Debate on the burka ban must be equitable
TAX EXEMPTIONS ON DONATIONS TO NGOS
In another part of his speech Mr Puli said he was backing calls by NGOs for a tax exemption on donations to the Community Chest Fund to be extended to other NGOs.
He said the Community Chest Fund was doing a lot of good work, but one should not try to help it in a manner which risked undermining NGOs which worked in the same area.