Why a second republic for Malta?

Abstract

Introduction: The Constitution of Malta was given to the Maltese in 1964 by the United Kingdom Parliament. Our Constitution is thus not home grown. It remains very much a colonial Constitution modelled on the same lines as previous colonial constitutions given to Malta under British rule. The Constitution does not therefore reflect the exigencies of a small island state like Malta. In this paper I focus specifically on only three constitutional law topics which in my view merit attention and investigation. These are: (a) a re-appraisal of the Office of President of Malta and other constitutional appointments; (b) the role of Parliament in emergency situations; and (c) the regulation of broadcasting. Although it is not possible here to carry out an in depth study of the deficiencies of the current Constitution due to word limit constraints, there is no doubt in my view that Malta needs to update thoroughly its Constitution through the writing of a new one thereby giving rise to a Second Republic.