Whip's simple solution to voting problems

Nationalist parliamentary group whip David Agius said this morning that parliament could adopt the House of Commons model to avoid problems in its voting system.

Speaking on the Bongu breakfast show, Mr Agius noted that in the Commons, MP voted yes or no by walking through the appropriate door.

The same, he said, could be done in Malta, since the Chamber of Parliament has two doors.

If necessary he added, the whips or their assistants could be stationed near the doors to ensure that MPs were properly expressing their decision.

Speaker Michael Frendo yesterday said he favoured investment in an electronic voting system, something which Mr Agius did not discount, particularly when Parliament moved to a new chamber.

The voting uncertainty came into focus on Thursday night when Nationalist MPs voiced uncertainty over how Labour MP Justyne Caruana voted in the power station debate.Dr Caruana said her vote was always a clear backing for the Opposition motion.

Dr Frendo said that henceforth MPs would be asked to declare their vote straight into a microphone.