Government has the political will to see Constitution changes through - Bonnici

The political will to make the necessary changes to the Constitution is present and active, justice minister Owen Bonnici said last week.

Bonnici spoke at a discussion organized by the Today Public Policy Institure, on the report about a review of the Constitution of Malta after fifty years, held on the 6 November. 

In attendance were president emeritus George Abela, Professor Ian Refalo and Professor Kevin Aquilina, together with politicians Carmelo Abela, Charlo Bonnici and Arnold Cassola.

The discussion revolved around whether there exists the political will to drive changes into our Constitution, which has stood the test of time despite the piece meal changes often introduced on the eve of the general election dates.

Bonnici assured the audience that the progress being made in the party financing legislation was evidence of political will. The legislation, to be enacted by the end of the year, was considered the firs step towards a review of the Constitution.

President emeritus Abela highlighted the importance of the need to hasten the process, lest it gets bogged down in a pre-election impasse, making reaching an agreement difficult.

Moderator Michael Frendo emphasised that the report is an attempt to present just some of the issues while recognising that other issues warranting attention may have not been tackled. Frendo also said that in the issue of governance, all citizens are part of the political class, though this was just the beginning of the process.

Martin Scicluna, chairman of the TPPI think tank, highlighted that the present state clearly reflects a system whereby the two parties are effectively the king makers in politics and the masters of the Constitution. He stressed the need for citizens to take an active role while warning that changes to the Constitution should be undertaken only after careful consideration.