Updated 9.40am, adds PL statement

The Nationalist Party has called on the government “to stop acting irresponsibly” and start respecting the Constitution.

In a statement on Wednesday, spokespersons Therese Comodini Cachia and Joseph Ellis referred to an urgent opinion, published by the Venice Commission on Tuesday, a contentious reform that would allow public entities to impose much larger fines.

The commission said that the best route to change the way fines are handed out is through an amendment to the constitution and not to another existing law. 

The opinion had been sought by the government.

Seeking such an opinion, the PN said, was unprecedented as such matters were the competence of Parliament and the courts.

It condemned this “neo-colonial mentality” of seeking an opinion on a domestic issue.

The government, the PN said, did not explain the need to go over Parliament and the constitutional court and seek the commission’s opinion.

The commission, the PN said, was clear in its conclusions that the decision falls within the sovereignty of the Maltese authorities and people and that the question of whether the proposed amendment of the Interpretation Act is compatible with Malta's constitution is for the constitutional courts to decide. 

The PN said that in view of the commission’s clear opinion, it would have expected the government to show humility and admit it had been wrong to propose legislation that was clearly anti-constitutional without seeking Parliament’s and society’s consensus.

But instead, it called victory showing how cut off it was from reality.

PL statement

In a reply, the Labour Party accused the PN of doubting the need for consultation with the commission.

This, it said, was what was done by those who were arrogant and only respected the institutions when they were agreeable to them.

The commission’s position, the PL said, confirmed the government had been right when it argued that for public authorities to be given more powers, the constitution should be amended. The PN had opposed this from the very beginning, it said.

The country, the PL continued, deserved a more efficient and accessible justice system, something that was integral to how the PL government worked.

It also deserved an Opposition that did its part for this aim to be reached. But, till now, the Opposition was showing that it did not care and remained focused on partisan politics only respecting international institutions if these were critical of the country.