Absent political integrity

Labour's actions during last week's parliamentary sitting where the power station extension contract was discussed and subsequently voted on has, once again, given us a clear example of what tactics the opposition is ready to resort to in order to disrupt parliamentary work and try and quench the obsession of governing this country by gaining a short cut to power. This now seems to be Joseph's Muscat only quest and he is clearly showing he is ready to take all advantage, albeit unfair, to reach his promised land.

The way Labour tried to take advantage of a genuine mistake shows the opposition's lack of integrity and, to add insult to injury, it even tried to put the blame on the Speaker who acted correctly and responsibly throughout the whole procedure.

All this goes to confirm how dangerous the Labour Party really is; how it is not acting in the interest of the people as it is bound to do but acting solely in a way that is aimed at throwing as many obstacles as possible in the government's way. It is indeed not an exaggeration when we say that Labour's quest to power has become an obsession. That is what Dr Muscat wants and the unfortunate thing is that he does not want to gain power for the good of the country but for his own personal glory. In times like these, when we ought to be working hand in hand to ensure that we recover from this difficult economic period unscathed, Labour is unfortunately opting to alienate the public with gimmicks like those in Parliament last week.

I will not go through the procedures the Speaker adopted to ensure that his decision was the correct one but the mere fact that the Deputy Speaker resigned from his post shows that, rather than trying to find solutions and common ground, the opposition is only aiming to undermine the government's work. His action is a sign of disrespect to such an important institution in our country. Resigning from such a post in an institution that ensures that democracy is safeguarded is an irresponsible act from someone who was elected in the same institution to be the voice of the people.

Labour has failed once again to show political maturity and this does not augur well for a party that is aiming to, someday, lead the country. One can only imagine what tactics they will opt for if one day they manage to gain power. This is surely not what our country needs. We need a constructive opposition that is able to debate important subjects for the good of the country while respecting the institutions, promoting and sustaining democracy. We need an opposition that keeps the government in check on key issues not an opposition that calls for unnecessary rulings and divisions for the sole aim of disrupting parliamentary work.

Dr Muscat ought to know better, given his experience in the European Parliament.

He must surely have learned something from his years in Brussels and in Strasbourg. He surely knows the way a Parliament works correctly and I am certain that he is aware that his antics would not have been tolerated over there. However, this is Malta and Dr Muscat and his disciples wanted to steal the limelight and tried to cast doubts on the Speaker's integrity by trying to forge false impressions.

The Labour Party represents a little bit less than half the electorate of the Maltese islands and it is their duty to do so with diligence and with integrity. The least that is expected from them is to be correct in their actions and not resort to foul play. If Labour wants to govern, they first have to show that they can be trusted; that they will not try to twist the rules. So far, they have fallen short of these requirements and I have no doubts that the Maltese voters will take this into consideration once again come the next general election.

Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.