Time magazine named 2011 the year of the protesters. In Malta, however, the loudest noises were not made by people holding banners in the streets, but by backbenchers shaking things up in Parliament.

Calls from the backbench often come because of shortcomings from the frontbench- Franco Debono

Whether it was divorce legislation, the controversial ministerial pay rises or transport reform, Nationalist MPs felt free to criticise, despite the government’s one-seat majority that makes any dissent dramatic.

But does an empowered backbench mean a stronger democracy or the erosion of party loyalty?

As people keep guessing whether the government will give in to Nationalist MP Franco Debono’s latest demands to split the justice and home affairs ministry, TheSunday Times sought reflections from the backbench.

Nationalist MP Jean-Pierre Farrugia, who took the government to task for the anomalous way it granted pay raises to Cabinet members, says there is a fine line between dissent and disloyalty.

Dr Farrugia was persistent in his criticism but always said he would not threaten the government’s stability.

“In three decades of my family’s active participation in the PN, my late father having been an MP since 1971, I guess the borderline of loyal dissent was always clear to me,” Dr Farrugia said.

“Without sounding patronising, I have always advised others not to stay on the edge,” he added, referring to a speech he gave in Parliament where he said internal criticism was important but should never undermine party discipline.

MP Jesmond Mugliett, who spoke critically on several environmental issues such as the black dust problem, makes no such caveats.

He said this year saw good examples of “bottom-up policymaking”, where the government was spurred into action leading to positive outcomes.

“The public wants to see more of them,” he added. “I hope this will lead to maturity in the way we do politics.”

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who spearheaded the most radical backbench-led reform – divorce – said he was always loyal in his dissent.

“At times you need a shake-up for evolution to happen,” Dr Pullicino Orlando said, pointing out that his party had since changed its position on divorce.

“My loyalty is primarily towards my constituents and my country,” he said, pointing out that the Maltese electoral system encourages such behaviour.

Unlike the UK, where political parties choose one candidate for each district, Maltese MPs are chosen by the voters in each district from various party candidates.

The MP making the recent headlines, Dr Debono, says the focus should shift off the backbench and towards the Cabinet.

“Calls from the backbench often come because of shortcomings from the frontbench. I wouldn’t have needed to go through so much to implement the right to legal assistance in police interrogations if the responsible minister had done it some years before. I wouldn’t have had to campaign for and draft a law on party finance if some minister had done it.”

He believes loyalty is very important, but this comes in the form of contributing ideas.

“Loyalty should complement reason, not substitute it. With MPs, party loyalty should be seen in the context of the constitution. And Cabinet members should also be very careful not to embarrass the government and their backbench colleagues.”

On the other hand, former minister and long-serving MP Francis Zammit Dimech has constantly stressed the importance of loyalty and recently produced a short online clip on the matter.

MPs who voice an independent view from that of Cabinet reinforce the separationof powers between the executive and thelegislative.

“But this obviously needs to be contained within certain parameters... In this latest case of Franco Debono, I find the suggestion (splitting the justice and home affairs portfolios) to be valid,” he said.

However, the end-of-year deadline and the level of pressure was unacceptable and unrealistic, considering this should be the Prime Minister’s prerogative.

Dr Debono argues that the Prime Minister thought up this deadline when he pledged to decide on the matter by year’s end.

“I am not privy to the conversation between them so I cannot be the judge of that but still, this level of pressure goes against the concept of the Prime Minister’s prerogative on such decisions,” Dr Zammit Dimech said.