Franco Debono Warns Politicians Are Too Present On The Ground In Malta: ‘Familiarity Breeds Contempt’
Criminal lawyer and former MP Franco Debono has criticised Malta’s political culture, warning it is unhealthy for politicians to be as present as they are in the everyday lives of their constituents.
Speaking on TVAM this morning, Debono called for a smaller Parliament with full-time MPs, noting that British parliamentarians represent an average of 70,000 people while their Maltese counterparts represent some 5,000.
“One of the problems in Maltese politics is this excess familiarity and clientelism,” Debono argued. “If you represent 70,000 people, you won’t have to attend every village feast, Baptism, Holy Communion, Confirmation and wedding.”
“There’s excess familiarity, and familiarity breeds contempt. Politicians here are present by your side from birth till death, and it’s a plague of our political system. Politicians must listen to their constituents but they must detach themselves a bit.”
Debono was a guest on a TV panel along with Nationalist MP David Stellini, who recently called for MPs to be given an option to work full-time, so as to avoid conflicts of interest.
While the former PN agreed that MPs’ honoraria should be increased, he insisted they should only be allowed to work full-time if Parliament is shrunk.