Malta’s earliest Constitution - in the modern sense of the word - arguably dates back to 1814’s Treaty of Paris, whereby Malta formally became a British protectorate for the first time.
Our earliest Constitution was granted 20 years later in 1835, but this can hardly be described as a ‘democratic’, as the resulting Council of Government was by nomination only, and could not therefore be considered representative.
But in 1887, for the first time in its millennial history, Malta acquired representative government through a Council which was composed of a majority of Maltese elected Members.
However - and in a pattern which would repeat itself to varying degrees ever since – by the turn of the century, the political situation became tense as the 1887 constitution was slowly eroded. In 1903, representative government was revoked altogether and Malta reverted to Colonial rule.
The 1921 Constitution In the economic depression immediately following the First World War, political aspirations of the Maltese grew stronger and in February 1919 a newly constituted National Assembly unanimously resolved to request the British government to grant a new constitution with full political and administrative autonomy.
Later that year, in a confluence of various factors - not all of which, it must be said, were equally related to the quest for self-rule - popular discontent boiled over. Matters came to a head on Saturday 7 June 1919, when the National Assembly held its second meeting in Valletta. Riots broke out in various parts of Malta: notably in Old Bakery Street, where four Maltese were shot dead by British troops as they ransacked the houses of leading flour millers in protest against a hike in bread prices.
Withthe arrival of British governor Lord Plumer, an uneasy truce ensued, paving the way for the formation of a responsible government through a new constitution, granted in 1921.
This was te first fully-fledged government composed of Ministers who were themselves Members of and responsible to a Legislature which was elected directly by the Maltese people elected.
However, in these early stages, treasury and defence matters remained exclusively in the hands of the British Colonial government.
Independence, and beyond Self-government under British supervision proved to be a largely unsusr=tainable political experiment, and – between the Constitution suspended with the outbreak of World War II, and the entire Opposition party sent into exile for the duration of the War, it remains debatable how truly self-governing the Government of malta was throughout these difficult years.
Effectively, one can only talk about a truly sovereign Malta from Independence (1964) onwards. Some argue that even here, Malta received a partial independence, as several key infrastructural nodes - including the airport - remained under British military control. Sovereignty came to be fully realised when Malta became a Republic, for the first time ever under a Maltese head of State, 10 years later in 1974.
The House of Representatives The Maltese Parliament describes itself (on its website) as “the sum total of the constitutional experiences which the island went through, especially during the past century.”
The Maltese Parliament is an institution that operates under a set of rules allegedly modelled on the British House of Commons’ general rules of procedure, but which have been tailored to suit the needs of a much smaller Parliament.
The Maltese Parliament has today built its own tradition and structures, but which can still access and benefit from precedents. Customs and usages adopted by the House of Commons in cases not provided for by the Standing Orders of the Maltese Parliament.
Throughout the years, the Maltese Parliament has functioned through simplicity and pragmatism. However, in 1995, the need was felt to set up Standing Committees, namely, the Public Accounts Committee, chaired by an Opposition Member, a Privileges Committee, a House Business Committee, a Social Affairs Committee and a Foreign and European Affairs Committee. These Committees relieve and facilitate the work in plenary.
Parliamentary diplomacy Parliamentary involvement in international affairs has been recognized by one and all. Parliamentary business and multilateral relationships demands a more assertive place in the globalised agenda of the 21st century.
Malta’s commitments amd obligations have grown considerably since 2004, when the Island became a member of the European Union. However, membership of the European Union has shown itself open to compatibility with membership of other international organizations. Thus, the Maltese Parliament, besides participating actively in European institutions and their activities, takes part in other international parliamentary fora, including the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).
Malta, along with Cyprus and Britain, remains an active member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
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