POWERING DEMOCRACY: LOOKING AHEAD TO CHOGM 2015
regard for the Rule of Law, remains the major resource the country can boast of and the undisputed driver of sustainable economic growth.
Malta is also a member of the European Union and the Eurozone with which it shares a common foreign policy. This is within the limits of the Constitution by which neutrality is entrenched. Malta has always been and remains at the forefront of brokering and maintaining world peace, an element in its character which has nurtured its own political stability and encouraged the acquisition of serenity in its neighbours as a key to their individual and collective success. The determining factors that power our approach to current challenges are the principles and values embedded in Malta’s Constitution. This firmly ensures that in our democratic society it is the sense of propriety and responsibility, the allegiance to the rule of law and the constant vigilance to uphold human rights, liberty and freedom of expression achieved by delicately balancing the powers
Images showing the new Parliament Building in Malta.
All images copyright Pierre Sammut and the Government of Malta.
of those entrusted to govern by those enjoyed by the governed. The Maltese Constitution was born back in 1813 when the Maltese voluntarily placed their homeland under the protection of Great Britain. Since then this document was rewritten eleven times as attempts to address the changing overarching requirements of a young developing nation were addressed.
Forged in the Constitution is the writ that gave birth to the first Parliamentary Assembly of Malta in 1921. Once Malta gained its independence in 1964, this was elevated to a sovereign Parliament made up of a democratically elected government and opposition and a Speaker of the House. The Maltese Parliament follows the Westminster model and therefore operates on a framework of Standing Orders that are modelled on the procedures of the British House of Commons. We are currently in the process of updating these Standing Orders. To further strengthen
democracy in our country, in 1995 a number of Permanent Standing Committees were set. Their purpose is to facilitate the smooth running and strengthen the scrutiny of the plenary. Since then these have been increased to eleven. Another determined step
towards the strengthening of Parliamentary activity was the tabling in this twelfth legislature of the Bill on Standards in Public Life and the Parliamentary Service Bill. Once approved both bills will further enhance parliamentary integrity.
Other acts of note introduced in this legislature are the Whistle Blower Act and the Political Parties Finances Act which remain only two of 79 Acts enacted by Parliament since April 2013.
It is noteworthy that after 94 years in office, on 4 May 2015, Malta’s highest institution migrated from the President’s Palace, where it had occupied one of its grand chambers, to its own official building at City Gate. This contemporary, environmentally friendly Parliament building, designed by the globally acclaimed architect Renzi Piano, is among other attributes, digitally furnished, allowing real time transmission to the public and reaching the ultimate standards in Parliamentary transparency. Besides the plenary sittings and Standing Committee meetings, Parliamentarians also participate actively in all European institutions and in other international fora that include the Organization of Security and Cooperation in
Europe, the Council of Europe, the European Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association. It is through these representations that parliamentarians network to empower themselves and the relevant institutions to effectively address global challenges. High on our agenda are climate change, the plight of migrants and refugees who escape conflict, persecution and violence, as well as the scourge of the new brand of international terrorism.
As Malta hosts the CHOGM (Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting) 2015 and welcomes heads of state and representatives of governments across the Commonwealth, I hope and expect that with determination and a strong will to succeed, we will actively champion and give life to the main theme chosen for CHOGM: ‘Adding Global Value’ by owning and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals promulgated by the United Nations.
For further information about CHOGM 2015 please visit
https://chogm2015.mt/
The Parliamentarian | 2015: Issue Three | 205
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