It is “hypocritical” to be in favour of a law that regulates cohabitation and at the same time oppose divorce, because this situation would create “second class” marriages, according to Labour leader Joseph Muscat.
Speaking during a meeting with the pro-divorce Iva Movement at the Labour headquarters, Dr Muscat said he shared the same objectives as the movement and would support its campaign for the introduction of divorce.
However, he insisted there should be broad consensus on the rules to determine the best way forward.
“I am disappointed because during the Budget debate I asked the Prime Minister whether a decision had been taken on the roadmap to be adopted for a divorce discussion and referendum but I got no reaction,” Dr Muscat said, insisting he did not want a parliamentary debate that simply let off steam and dragged on till the next election.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi had indicated that a debate in Parliament would be held in January followed by a referendum but nothing had been said officially, Dr Muscat added.
Dr Muscat said he favoured responsible divorce legislation, adding he was ashamed of the double standards adopted in the country where some people could obtain divorce from abroad while others could not.
“It should not be taken for granted that people will vote yes for divorce. This is an uphill struggle,” he said. It was hard work to convince people on divorce.
When asked whether he would still campaign for divorce if people voted against, Dr Muscat quoted former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami on the EU referendum saying if people voted no he would hold another referendum and try to convince them otherwise.
The Iva campaign committee was headed by its chairman, Deborah Schembri, who said that in Ireland two referenda had been held, with the “no” camp winning the first and the “yes” winning the second.
Dr Schembri said it made more sense to have divorce legislation before cohabitation laws because many who lived together did so because they could not remarry.
Referring to Dr Fenech Adami’s divorce comments on Sunday, Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who is part of the yes campaign, said his Bill was not motivated by the fact that only Malta and the Philippines did not have divorce legislation. “The current legislative set-up is encouraging cohabitation and this leads to chaos in society,” he said.
Dr Fenech Adami had said divorce was not a civil right and the country should be proud of being one of only two in the world that did not have divorce.
Labour MP Evarist Bartolo, another committee member, said he expected “more compassion and less self-righteousness” than Dr Fenech Adami.
“Not everybody has the luxury of getting two annulments as some have. I am happily married but I cannot ignore the plight of those whose marriage has failed,” he said. Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Michael Briguglio and former Nationalist Party minister Michael Falzon were among the Iva committee members present at the meeting.