President: ‘We need to understand why some believe mafia state label and fix the causes'

Malta has been described as a ‘mafia state’ by some activists in the wake of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder, a label many, including the Prime Minister, have rejected.

President Myriam Spiteri Debono believes the description is “stretching it too far” but insists it is everyone’s duty to understand why some believe the ‘mafia state’ label.

She insisted that the perception that some have of Malta being a mafia state is not borne out of thin air. It is derived from certain behaviours of those in public office.

“These people have lost trust in the institutions to the point that they believe it [mafia state label] and it is our duty to understand why they have this perception, why they are saying so and fix the issues that are causing this,” Spiteri Debono said on Monday night when interviewed on TVM’s Xtra.

She added: “We need to reform the soul of the State… people of the State should believe in good governance, embrace it and show respect to the institutions.”

Spiteri Debono was replying to questions by programme host Saviour Balzan on Caruana Galizia’s murder and the impact this has had on the national conscience.

The President acknowledged the difficulty for the slain journalist’s family to ever have closure but said one way for the country to start healing was to implement the recommendations made to protect investigative journalists.

“At the very least for some good to come out of this there has to be protection for investigative journalists. The recommendations made to recognise the right of investigative journalists to work safely should be implemented,” she reiterated.

Asked about the length of time it takes for court cases to be adjudicated, Spiteri Debono said this was a problem because relatives of victims cannot even start to seek closure as long as cases drag on.

“I cannot do anything about it as president. In private I may try to raise the issue but as president I have to be careful because I cannot influence the judiciary or be seen as interfering with their job. Even saying a case is taking too long can be interpreted as interference,” she said in a cautious tone.

Spiteri Debono said constitutional reform is a priority for her but agreed with her predecessor’s assessment that the president’s role should last until the convention is launched.

Asked about reforms to the electoral system to enable the election of more women to parliament that were first used in 2022, Spiteri Debono insisted these were necessary to speed up things.

She said it would have taken forever to reach a critical mass of women MPs at the rate things had been developing over the past seven decades.

But she expressed reservations on certain aspects of the reform.

“It bothers me that Sandra Gauci of ADPD who could have been elected through the new system was not because it only applied to two parties already elected in parliament,” Spiteri Debono said. “Additionally, every change to the electoral system so far has been to ensure proportionality between votes and seats but in the new system [gender corrective mechanism] 12 seats are evenly split with no sense of proportionality.”

Spiteri Debono reiterated her long-held belief that the key for women was to become economically independent, praising the increasing number of young women who continue studying at tertiary level.

On abortion, she reiterated her belief that on such a sensitive issue people must be given the chance to express their preference through a referendum. However, she acknowledged the differing views of those who believe that a right should not be subjected to the will of the majority.

Spiteri Debono has said in a previous interview that she is personally against abortion. On Xtra she defended her decision to express her personal view but insisted her role as president was also determined by the Constitution.

“When I said, I am personally against abortion, I made a conscious decision to say so. I had to inform people where I stand because people were expecting to know what I thought. But what I will do as President if this issue does crop up will be informed by what the Constitution dictates and I will not get involved in the debate,” she said.

When asked about the role of the Community Chest Fund, Spiteri Debono emphasised the constitutional role of the presidency.

“The Community Chest Fund is important and it is through the activities of the charity that people have come to view the president as the patriarch or matriarch of the country but the president’s primary role is constitutional,” she said.

In the current global climate of uncertainty and conflict, Spiteri Debono insisted neutrality was still important for Malta. “We are not a threat to anyone and our Constitution says we must actively work for peace and that is what I will try to do within the constraints of a small country,” she said.

Describing her relations with Prime Minister Robert Abela and Opposition leader Bernard Grech as cordial, Spiteri Debono’s advice to solve an impasse is to pick up the phone, call and ask the person to meet over a coffee. “It remains the best approach,” she said.