Divorce will lead marriage to become ‘almost redundant’

Divorce weakens the bond of marriage to the extent that it reduces the number of people opting to get married, according to the chairman of the new anti-divorce movement, Andrè Camilleri.

“Marriage will be made almost redundant... The permanent bond will be reduced to a flimsy and temporary one,” he said at the launch of the Marriage Without Divorce movement, which is set to begin fiercely campaigning to counter the pro-divorce movement set up by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.

Dr Camilleri, who is involved in the movement in his personal capacity, is the director-general of the Malta Financial Services Authority. He had also been the first chairman of the National Family Commission.

Widely respected by many prominent people, he had been nominated as a judge in 2002 by former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami and the Cabinet, which included the present Prime Minister, Lawrence Gonzi. He later turned down the offer.

Dr Camilleri said his movement’s main aim was to participate in the divorce discussion, using solid facts about the repercussions involved. It would argue that taxpayers’ money should be spent on strengthening marriages and preparing young couples, rather than paying for consequences of marital breakdown.

The movement’s nine active members include Malta Stock Exchange chairman Arthur Galea Salomone, Cana Movement president Anna Vella, DJ Pierre Cordina and his TV presenter and model wife Mireille née Bonello.

It also includes University student Albert Sciberras, accountant William Buckle, senior lecturer Mario Pace and Joyce Cassar, a popular TV personality who produces socio-religious programmes and who, during the launch, proclaimed she was separated.

Dr Camilleri said the movement’s first activity, to be held soon, would feature more prominent personalities, including unionists, politicians and people in the media, who would come out against divorce.

“I believe politicians were not acting callously by steering clear of introducing divorce along the years,” he said.

He said he had received many messages of support from politicians from both sides of the House and also from Church members but he refused to reveal any names.

The movement, he said, would eventually come out with a clear stand on whether the divorce issue should be decided by Parliament or through a referendum.

Dr Camilleri urged those who agreed with the movement to contribute through financial donations or by coming forward for media appearances and written contributions.

He said he was “absolutely sure” even a conservative law like the one Dr Pullicino Orlando was proposing would be diluted over time into one where divorce would be easy to obtain, if the couple agreed to it, as had happened “in every other jurisdiction”.

The movement’s main argument, which it promised to back with statistics, was that the introduction of divorce almost always increased the number of separations and cohabitating couples while reducing the number of marriages.

Dr Camilleri acknowledged such statistics could also be the result of changing demographics but when challenged on this point on grounds that cohabitations and separations were already on the increase in Malta while marriages were declining, Dr Camilleri said: “No, no. You’re wrong. There are people that are separating because there are problems in their marriages but since we have no divorce we do not have second and third marriages by the same person and the higher rates of breakdown that come with them.”

He also challenged the “perception” that there was a huge number of marriages breaking down in Malta, quoting a 2007 survey which found that 88 per cent of people in relationships were either satisfied or very satisfied in their relationships.