Speaker of the House of Representatives Anglu Farrugia has spent his entire tenure to date trying to push the message that the debating chamber belongs to the people and is a reflection of our people and Maltese democracy.

We agree. He, along with Commissioner of Laws Franco Debono, has pushed the idea of video streaming  - which aside from a short five minute glitch – kicked in during Monday night’s session in the new parliament building. But the one thing that was notable about the opening session was the distinct lack of interest and sheer apathy by your average Joe. While the bands played and marched through Valletta, followed by the elite of Malta made their way to City Gate, the lack of interest was evident.

The media were geared up for a day of reporting with live blogs and constant updates. But the silence was deafening. It is abundantly clear. People were simply not interested, and that is not a good thing.

Malta is a peculiar place. Politics is our national sport, or so we say. But while we always descend into election fever every time a vote is called (although the trend is lessening), we seem to only be interested when it’s election time.

Once a government is elected (whoever it may be) we forget all about our input and what out MPs are doing to improve our lives, and what they are doing in our name.

The building – once labelled as a monument to extravagance – seems to have jolted our MPs out of the usual confrontational attitude of  two sides of parliament out for blood. Anyone watching the live streaming yesterday (probably very few) will have noticed a distinct change in approach that the ‘circular’ seating arrangements have brought about.

It seems that politicians have had a change of heart. Whether or not that is short-lived remains to be seen, but we are hopeful. The hardest task that they now have, is to convince Maltese society that this is not a flash in the pan. They need to show the population in general that parliament does work to make a difference and that MPs do pull on one rope to try and make a better life for all of us.

During Monday night’s session, MPs Marlene Farrugia and Owen Bonnici made reference to the fact that Maltese politicians owe it to their constituents to show them that the climate in parliament in changing. It was particularly apt considering that a bill on climate change was being debated. Parliament has moved. The old one was designed according to the British system that allowed for two swords’ lengths to divide the front benches of either side. We have done away with that and opted for a more Continental circular design. Now, it is up to MPs to convince us all that the aggressive and confrontational style that we used to employ has gone and gone for good. Like the British we are islanders, this is why we probably found comfort in emulating that system. But fundamentally, we are European and Mediterranean. That fire, coupled with our island mentality, will never be fully tempered. But we have to try. Else we risk alienating the electorate that makes Malta the democracy which it is.