Gonzi replies to Muscat with list of subjects for discussion

The Prime Minister told Labour leader Joseph Muscat this evening that the government was prepared to hold talks on any proposal to strengthen democracy, but he suggested that priority should be given to urgent items listed by the government in a letter to the Leader of the Opposition on April 21.

Dr Gonzi was replying to a letter by Dr Muscat earlier in the day (see separate story) in which the Labour leader listed various points which he said needed to be discussed to strengthen democracy. Among them were party financing, amendments to the electoral law, legislation to regulate the activities of a caretaker government, management and editorial board appointments at PBS and resources for MPs.

In his reply Dr Gonzi recalled that after he wrote to the leader of the opposition on April 21, the opposition had said it would reply in two months’ time, after the new Labour leadership was elected.

Yet now the opposition had only reacted to one of the points raised at the time (resources to MPs) Dr Gonzi said.

The other points raised on April 21 were a Parliamentary pairing arrangement, the appointment of the Speaker, the deputy speaker and the chairmen of House committees, the introduction of Prime Minister’s Question Time in Parliament, the scheduling of sittings, the quorum rule and funding for up to 10 research analysts for the parliamentary groups. He had also sought agreement on the nomination of an Auditor-General and a Deputy Auditor General.

Dr Gonzi said he had no problem discussing any suggestion to strengthen democracy, indeed, he would make several other suggestions, such as allowing the right to vote to Maltese people working, studying or doing voluntary work abroad and enabling sick people to vote in the hospital where they would be receiving treatment.

Other suggestions he wished to make, Dr Gonzi said, included legislation to have a single National Day, effective regulations governing political broadcasting stations, or, indeed, a revision of the role of political parties in the media. He was also proposing a reform of the Broadcasting Authority to end the dominance of the political parties; an updating of the Constitution to current realities; and the implementation of the second phase of the pension reform.

Dr Gonzi said he also wished to remind Dr Muscat that a year ago he had invited the Opposition to join the government in a House Committee to review and strengthen the Permanent Commission against Corruption. The Opposition never took a decision on this important matter.

The Prime Minister said that while he felt that the discussion should start from the most urgent subjects, listed in the April 21 letter, he was appealing to the Opposition to at least reply to suggestions he made a year ago on the nomination of the Auditor-General and the Deputy Auditor General.