Deputy Leader Chris Fearne this morning said that the government and opposition need to work together to strengthen the institutions.

Speaking in parliament, Fearne was referring to the demonstration for justice held in Valletta last Sunday following the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Last Sunday, the organizers of the demonstration, the Civil Society Network, called for the removal of the police commissioner and the attorney general, and for the government to replace them with two other nominees approved by two thirds of Parliament.

"There is a section of the Maltese population who is saying that they are losing their faith in the institutions," said Fearne. "It worries me when people lose faith in them, my response would be that we need to work together in order to strengthen these institutions."

Fearne said that a debate on how to strengthen the institutions is needed in parliament.

"I am sorry that on Sunday there were people who tried to change the situation in something partisan," he said, adding that was something that 'bothered' him. "This (the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia) was a brutal act against society and how we live as a country, as well as our values. We need to respond to this attack together."

The Deputy Prime Minister slammed former Nationalist party leader Simon Busuttil for tarnishing the reputation of police force saying that Busuttil "spent five years making fun of the police force," and added that "if Adrian Delia also undermines the work of the police corps, he is making a mistake." He added that the Nationalist Party should shoulder responsibility.

He went on to re-enforce the belief of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat that Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia should submit himself to the courts for an investigation.