We need to move on - Gonzi

What happened in Parliament over the past few days should not be blown out of proportion and the country should shift its focus to more important matters, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday.

"I understand Labour's position but I hope Labour understands the position of the government. I think we can both agree that a voting error should not become the basis of Labour's battle," he said.

He was speaking to the press after a meeting with Vodafone officials in Birkirkara, where the company announced a €50 million investment over the next five years.

"Politics should be built on genuine votes not forced votes or erroneous ones," he said.

Dr Gonzi said he was disappointed that Deputy Speaker Carmelo Abela had resigned in protest and that MPs Mario Galea and Justyne Caruana became embroiled in a controversy about how they voted. However, he stopped short of making a direct apology to Dr Caruana, as the Labour Party is demanding.

Last Thursday, Mr Galea, a parliamentary secretary, made a mistake and voted against the government on an opposition motion regarding the controversial Delimara power station extension.

Amid uproar with Labour MPs demanding that he stick to his original vote, government MPs accused Dr Caruana of making a similar error in her vote, causing Labour leader Joseph Muscat to accuse government MPs of blatantly lying.

"These are things that happen. They've happened in the past and they will continue to happen, unless we make a reasonable and sensible decision to allow people to correct their genuine mistakes at the time they are made," Dr Gonzi said.

"What's wrong with this? If we can't find solutions in such obvious situations how can we solve the larger challenges we are facing on an international level?"

He said he was disappointed by the resignation of Mr Abela because he had fulfilled his function very well, "independently and objectively". "I thought his independence would hold him back from taking a decision that was made with political considerations."

However, Dr Gonzi said he would wait for some time to reflect on the situation before deciding on how to replace the Deputy Speaker.

Instead of wasting unnecessary energy on affidavits and procedural issues, Parliament had to move on, he stressed.

He expressed disappointment that Malta was one of the few countries that had to delay its approval of loan financing for Greece under the eurozone deal, something that was planned for Monday's sitting.

"My interest is to see this country move forward, especially when there is all this concern about the international markets. I hope today (Tuesday) both parties can focus on taking a decision about Greece," he said.

This was not a question that required mediation between the government and the opposition but simply for both sides to take their decisions and shoulder their responsibilities, he concluded.