Political parties should shut down their TV and radio stations to strengthen Malta’s democratic credentials and contain partisanship, veteran TV presenter Lou Bondi told a conference audience on Thursday.

Bondi, one of the coordinators of the annual State of the Nation survey, and also one of the founders of the PN's Radio 101 in 1991, was speaking at the presentation of the findings from the survey's fourth edition.

He argued that Malta’s hyper-partisanship means that “political debate is only taking place between parties”, with many other people who would want to contribute to the political arena shying away for fear of being labelled or sidelined.

What’s worse, Bondi said, in a veiled reference to criticism of the judiciary over the past weeks, is that partisanship is increasingly spilling over into state institutions, such as the courts.

A former PN strategist and chair of the party’s radio station, Bondi said closing down the parties’ broadcast stations would be a first step towards reining in Malta’s hyper-partisanship.

But rather than happening in isolation, this needs to be accompanied by a transformation of TVM into a state broadcaster, rather than remaining under the control of the government of the day, he said.

In return, Bondi suggested, each party could be given a few slots throughout the week during which they can air their content.

Party stations came under the spotlight in recent years after a constitutional case launched by former Lovin Malta CEO Christian Peregin in 2021 asked the courts to scrap a law bypassing impartiality rules. Both party stations have vowed to fight the ongoing case,

Boost MPs’ salaries, increase roles appointed through a two-thirds majority

Closing party stations alone won’t solve Malta's partisan divide and democratic shortcomings, Bondi admitted, pointing to several other measures that he believes can play a part.

MPs’ salaries need to be bumped upwards to bring them in line with wages offered across the private sector, Bondi said. This would help parliament attract more skilled candidates, he argued.

“But we also need to debate whether MPs should be able to stay in office for more than two or three legislatures,” Bondi said.

There should also be more public roles appointed through a two-thirds parliamentary majority, Bondi argued, stopping short of saying which roles these should be.

“This would encourage continuity in policy-making, rather than working in electoral cycles,” he said.