CONSTITUTION OF MALTA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20601, 27 June 1930, Page 13

CONSTITUTION OF MALTA.

REASON FOR SUSPENSION. ELECTIONS MUST BE FREE. LORD PASSFIELD'S STATEMENT. j - By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright.. British Wireless. BUGBY. June OS. In the House of Lords, Lord Cushendun, a former Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, asked if the Government was still endeavouring to renew negotiations for co-ordination between the ecclesiastical and civil authorities in Malta, whether the former authorities had yet given orders which would restore to the electors of the island complete freedom to exercise their political judgment; and for how long it was expected it might be necessary to suspend the holding of the elections in Malta. Viscount Fitzalan, a former LordLieutenant of Ireland, appealed to Lord Strickland, Prime Minister of Malta, who was present iD the House, to make some gesture which might alleviate the present situation, and which would place him in the position he ought to hold in Malta. He believed much good could come of such a gesture, and that peace and spiritual welfare would be restored to that great historic island fortress. Lord Strickland thanked the Government for the decision it had made. The Government's declaration did not mean the suspension of the Constitution, it meant only the suspension of elections. But,, having got to that stage, the problem was how to get out, and the way to do that was by further ordinances. Therefore, he accepted loyally and freely any apparent or real diminution of his previous authority. | In defending his conduct of the affairs i of Malta, Lord Strickland said: "I may have been tactless sometimes, but not ; always. I have been a Governor under the Crown four times, and I should not ! have been Governor twice if I was tactless " Lord Passfield, Colonial Secretary, said the Government had never taken sides in this matter. It was with the greatestregret that the Government had been driven to take the step it had taken, and even temporarily to suspend the Constitution. The Government was suspending the Constitution in order to save it. The Constitution was not being maintained if freedom of election was taken away. When they could get back to freedom of election, the Constitution would be restored. During the suspension the Government would be carried on by the Governor by means of Orders-in-Council. The Government was not going to give way to the demands of the Vatican, that Lord Strickland and his colleagues should be removed.