Government researching laws and regulations concerning political satire

The Ministry for Tourism and Culture is currently conducting research on the laws and regulations related to carnival, with the aim of "amending any laws and regulations that may hinder the use of political satire during this cultural manifestation," according to Culture Minister Mario de Marco. 

After an absence of 76 years, Carnival enthusiasts can now breathe a sigh of relief in the knowledge that finally, their creativity will be allowed to flow over into political satire. Political satire was banned in 1936 under the British colonial rule, when it was felt that fun made of prominent political figures had gone too far.

Effectively, this means that to this day, there is nothing that stops an individual or an entity from filing a complaint with the police if they feel they have been offended.

The Culture Ministry has now given hope that political satire can become 'legal' by next year.

"We are currently conducting research on the laws and regulations related to carnival," de Marco told MaltaToday.

"The work is being done with the assistance of the Attorney General's Office. If any law or amendment will have to be drafted it will be done through the Attorney General's office."

The Minister explained that a number of government entities and organisations have already provided useful information in the assessment currently being conducted.

"We hope to be able to announce a way forward on this issue soon," de Marco said.

Carnival float makers have admitted that they sometimes find themselves scrambling for new ideas, to the extent that one carnival company's idea clashes with another's.

Moreover, carnival enthusiasts are not only barred from partisan politics and religion, but also from football - meaning that certain music and football chants can't be played during carnival celebrations. Going against these strict regulations would mean expensive fines and also risking elimination from the competition.

But while political satire is banned for carnival enthusiasts, the Nadur Carnival brims with it each year. Its spontaneity is what draws the crowds in on an annual basis, and its main selling point is the very fact that people are allowed to indulge their imagination and develop costumes that touch upon both social and cultural aspects of Maltese life.

Moreover, the fact remains that political satire is a very much strong reality on the internet. Satirical videos and photos tackling current political issues seem to go viral as they gain popularity with each day that goes by.