As Nationalist Party whip, David Agius has one of the most thankless jobs on the government benches. He speaks to Herman Grech on the shifting mood in the PN group, constituents and revolving doors.

When the 2008 general election loomed, the mood of former Attard councillor David Agius was far from buoyant.

Just two weeks before polling day, Mr Agius filed a police report claiming he was being blackmailed by a Labour convert who threatened to expose his conduct during a university examination if he didn't cross the floor in Parliament.

This failed to dent the electorate's perceptions and Mr Agius defied the odds and the potential embarrassment to get re-elected. Within two months the party gave him a second vote of confidence when it elected him as whip.

Overnight, his responsibilities increased tenfold - he had to make sure Parliament functioned well, establish clear lines of communication with the opposition, coordinate committees and overseas trips, and ensure MPs turned up for parliamentary sittings.

In reality, since he assumed the role, Mr Agius has had an administrative nightmare on his hands. The PN enjoys just a one-seat majority, government MPs have in the past threatened to derail votes, one MP infamously missed a vote, and the May 6 power station extension vote incident threw parliament into disarray.

Did he ever think his job was going to be so tough?

"Certainly not this tough. You have 35 individuals with different characters and backgrounds and each has to be tackled differently. While I have no difficulty with some MPs, I know others need more gentle treatment to try to extract some information."

But he would rather see himself in the role of a "friend" than a party psychologist who tries to keep his patients in line.

While pointing out that the group has gone through a learning curve, Mr Agius says today he acknowledges the importance of adopting different tactics with each of his colleagues.

Some would want to share opinions and concerns over a coffee, others would need to speak in the privacy of a home; some would relay their views in Parliament in two seconds.

But at the moment there are far more pressing matters. After the vote on the power station extension, the government and the opposition are engaged in a tug of parliamentary war.

Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea had voted in favour of the opposition's motion by mistake. Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg then raised a point of order after four PN parliamentarians claimed they also heard Gozitan MP Justyne Caruana voting incorrectly.

It led to an unprecedented re-vote and a Labour walkout, amid much commotion, prompting many to think it is impossible for Parliament to function seamlessly for the second half of this legislature.

While the Labour Party is clearly trying to exploit the government's one-seat majority, the Nationalists are being accused of bending the rules to ride roughshod over Parliament.

In the meantime, Labour Deputy Speaker Carmelo Abela resigned in protest and Labour decided to stay away from the meetings of the Standing Committee on Democratic Reform, leaving the House in partial limbo.

Mr Agius says the government is using procedural motion - with voting taking place every Wednesday at 1 p.m. - because the opposition wanted it to be that way, though he expresses conviction that Parliament will soon return to normal after the upheaval.

He says he has never really had problems with his counterpart Joe Mizzi to ensure Parliament runs smoothly, but adds it is up to Labour to reciprocate the goodwill shown by the Nationalists, which postponed a vote pending a Labour delegation's visit to Australia.

But, in the meantime, Labour voted against the new deputy speaker Ċensu Galea, and is still expecting the PN to apologise to Dr Caruana.

What can he do as a whip?

Mr Agius insists that though four MPs still maintain they heard the Gozitan MP vote that way it should not be linked to the functions of Parliament.

"I can also ask whether the 34 Labour MPs really did hear Justyne vote in favour of the motion as they vowed in an affidavit. I have my sincere doubts. Did anyone excuse himself with Mario Galea after he committed a genuine mistake?"

Mr Agius insists Parliament should amend the way votes are taken to ensure MPs have the opportunity to change their vote if they make genuine mistakes.

He recently suggested the introduction of a system similar to the UK's House of Commons where MPs vote 'yes' or 'no' by walking through the appropriate door.

Many of those commenting on the online timesofmalta.com forum have dismissed the idea as ludicrous and unnecessary.

But Mr Agius is quick to point out his suggestion is far from reinventing the wheel.

Asked if MPs really need a Big Brother to guide them to cast the right vote, he says: "Every MP is human and can make a mistake. You either have to give them the chance to correct their mistake at once or else find a system where our votes are declared clearly. Under the current system, the names are read out in alphabetical order."

He insists MPs are still free to go astray and vote with the opposition through the door policy and points out that the whip - who he proposed having stationed next to the doors - would not attempt to stop them.

"Do you think I'd physically stop someone from voting against their wishes? Just think about it, if someone walks through a different door to that of his colleagues it's going to be a no vote with conviction."

Mr Agius goes a step further and says that the way the current parliamentary chamber is designed inside the Palace, the door system could come into effect tomorrow.

Alternatively, Parliament can introduce an electronic vote system, where MPs will have the option of amending any mistakes.

All interesting proposals, but in the meantime Labour has set an apology from the PN to Dr Caruana as a condition for parliamentary peace, a situation Mr Agius refuses to comment upon.

He points out that the voice recordings taken on May 6 failed to establish the way she voted, even though he is quick to point out that he does not doubt the integrity of Dr Caruana or Mr Galea.

It is clear that the rules and regulations between the two parties have changed since the power station debacle. While a gentleman's agreement used to suffice in the past, Mr Agius says he is now putting down every oral agreement with the opposition in writing.

Does he trust his Labour counterpart today?

"Yes I do, but I will record every conversation in writing," he repeats.

Mr Agius is also thankful that he does not need to constantly monitor his patch to check if there are any missing sheep. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi's decision last February to twin several of the backbenchers to the different ministries has brought about the desired results.

Mr Agius says the PN group has been injected with fresh enthusiasm since the MPs - some of whom had been washing the party's dirty linen in public - were given more responsibilities.

"Today, we have parliamentary assistants who travel for overseas assignments on ministers' behalf; they have addressed news conferences and even contributed to meetings. It's a very positive experience," he says, adding that he believes every future government will utilise the system in the future.

"I'm convinced that if we keep operating the same system in the PN, where we have the total inclusion of the 35 MPs, this government will last for the entire legislature.

"Today, I am certain no MP will try to do anything to bring the government down. We don't agree on everything but the idea that someone is plotting to bring the government down is a fairytale."

There will always be some differences of opinion and MPs can keep their government on its toes, Mr Agius says, adding that the government had not lost a budget vote or any other crucial vote since March 2008.

"We only had an MP who turned up late for a vote on a motion pertaining to his own committee. But that is over... The enthusiasm among backbenchers is tremendous. We have a unique and dynamic parliamentary group," he says.

So was it just a matter of giving backbenchers a higher profile to keep the PN group united?

"We have dynamics and massive energy in this group. We had a number of MPs who were yearning to contribute. They are working so hard and getting minimal payment in return."

He is uncomfortable with suggestions that some of his colleagues are in Parliament to fuel their ego and had been intent on disrupting the government's work because they were not given a ministerial post.

The twinning exercise means parliamentarians are more hands-on, in contact with the electorate, ministers and the Prime Minister. He says they have also worked wonders to cut down the list of parliamentary questions.

Is he convinced all the MPs are now under control?

"We don't control anyone. We manage people. Issues might still crop up but the feeling I get is we will not face any of the major difficulties we faced in the past when certain MPs wanted to contribute more."

Still, he cannot give a guarantee that no Nationalist MP will go astray during the second half of this government's term. But he takes comfort in the fact that there is a direct line of communication between the backbench and the ministries, coupled with the Prime Minister's recently adopted open door policy.

Mr Agius also believes it is time for the introduction of full-time MPs. Parliamentary work has increased and the Lisbon Treaty is putting a lot of emphasis on national parliaments, so he believes the time has come for MPs to ditch their day jobs and concentrate on parliamentary work.

Still, he is quick to point out that there are contrasting views within the PN group on the matter, with salary being a contentious question. He believes a decision should be taken before the parties field candidates for an election.

Mr Agius is, after all, seeking to continue climbing up the political ladder. He was president of the Studenti Demokristjani Maltin and a PN executive member before being elected in 2003.

A darling among Radio 101 listeners, he was the one presenter Labourites loved to hate. In a recent opinion piece he again raised their ire when he wrote that the notorious 1980s thugs feel comfortable militating again in a Labour Party run by Joseph Muscat. He stands by what he wrote.

"I believe (former Labour leader) Alfred Sant managed to eliminate certain individuals from the party. What I saw in the Strangers' Gallery on the night of the power station vote - shouting, insults, someone hurling a chair in the aisle - is not really reflective of a party which calls itself moderate and progressive.

"Those in the Strangers Gallery were invited by Labour MPs. Why? A lot of people returned to the scenes of the 1980s. I hope it was a one-off. Seriously, that night I went numb."

He even questions whether Labour feels comfortable with the EU, when its leadership has no qualms about openly endorsing former leaders like Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici and Dom Mintoff, who are against membership.

Mr Agius asks why Labour persists in putting Parliament in a self-imposed straitjacket by refusing to give pairing - knowing that the very nature of the EU dictates certain ministers need to go abroad.

Yet Mr Agius has been accused of using 1980s tactics himself, when he made a phone call to a Gozo Channel Ltd official to check why one of his constituents had not been promoted to captain.

A ship master recently accused him of such behaviour, but Mr Agius vehemently denies exerting any political pressure, saying he only made one phone call of verification.

The story dates back to 2007 when three officials were lined up for a post at Gozo Channel. A constituent from his hometown in Attard claimed it was only discrimination which led to his placing third in the pecking order.

"As an MP I called Capt. Mario Grech and checked to verify the claims. The story stopped there. The first applicant was appointed, so was the second. A year after I made that phone call the person who approached me was appointed as captain," Mr Agius says.

He adds that the shipmaster decided to make the allegations because he was involved in a civil lawsuit instituted against his suspension from the ferry company.

"Don't you think he would have raised this issue before if I had really applied so much political pressure?"

The code of ethics for parliamentarians states that MPs are duty-bound to relay complaints of their constituents and make representations in their name to government authorities but not to use any improper influence, threats or undue pressure.

Do MPs regularly make such phone calls?

"We are often criticised as a party for not listening to people's concerns ."

He says constituents are often in need of personal advice, sometimes to check the status of some form of application or on which department should handle their query - much like other European citizens.

"If there's a file pending in a department, what's wrong with asking the director the reason behind it?"

Is he comfortable doing it?

"Yes. I'm there to serve the people... and the electorate expects such help."

Watch excerpts on timesofmalta.com.

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