Instead, he proposed an electoral system of seven districts, with each one electing seven MPs to Parliament, bringing the total number of MPs down to 49.

With regards to Sammut’s proposal for state financing of political parties, Debono said this cannot be discussed before it can be assured that parties are compliant with existing financing laws that he had spearheaded.

“My warning is clear – we shouldn’t consider state financing before parties are transparent,” he said.

“I won’t refer to any specific party, but if a party hasn’t filed their accounts for four years, will we give them taxpayer money when we don’t know where they will end up?” he questioned.

While he didn’t name the party, it was an obvious reference to the PN, which has failed to file its accounts for the past four years.

Debono also argued that there is nothing inherently wrong with the concept of political parties receiving donations, so long as this is carried out transparently.

“Political parties are social groups that depend on popular support, and if you have popular support, you will also receive donations,” he said.

“Parties should work to earn popular support, and one aspect of this is donations. If a party isn’t bringing in donations, it means they have a problem. If that party is also losing election after election, the problem isn’t just donations but support.”

“A party that is capable of convincing people will attract donations, but if that party isn’t even observing the current laws, how can one consider giving them public funds?”