Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando’s early election comment raises queries

In a cryptic message on Facebook, which he refused to explain, Nationalist backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando implied voting with Labour on Saturday’s parliamentary motion on Cabinet pay rises could have led to an early election.

This gave rise to speculation that there could have been pressure, possibly by the Prime Minister as leader of the Nationalist Party, on him and, perhaps, other “dissenting” government MPs to be careful how to vote as the consequences could be an early election.

The government was asked whether it could confirm or deny information reaching The Times that the Prime Minister “last week threatened MPs with calling an early general election if they voted against the Labour Party’s motion on ministerial rises”.

A spokesman denied the Prime Minister had threatened his MPs with an early election, labelling the claim “unfounded”.

Dr Pullicino Orlando made his comments on Facebook when responding to those who said he should have voted in favour of the Labour Party’s motion to reflect the people’s will. (The motion, which was defeated, consisted in a declaration that Cabinet’s behaviour on the rises granted in May 2008 was “insensitive, arbitrary and non-transparent”.)

“I will not let anyone use me as an excuse to call an early election. My sentiments were very clearly expressed,” Dr Pullicino Orlando told his Facebook friends. In another comment, he said he was not prepared to disappoint those who elected him by destabilising the government.

“I cannot disappoint those who voted for me by acting in a way that leads to an early general election,” he wrote, in a third comment. When contacted, Dr Pullicino Orlando refused to elaborate.

In Parliament, Dr Pullicino Orlando had said he was planning to vote with the opposition motion to reflect public opinion on the matter. However, he changed his mind at the last minute after listening to the Prime Minister’s parliamentary speech.

In his speech, Dr Gonzi proposed a way forward on the matter by suggesting the revival of the Select Committee on the Strengthening of Democracy, which would start off by discussing politicians’ salaries, modelled around the system of the British House of Commons. When contacted, Nationalist MP Jesmond Mugliett, who also had serious reservations about voting with the government on the matter, said he did not speak to Dr Gonzi at any point and decided to vote against the motion on his own volition.

“But I knew that the way I voted would have a bearing on the stability of government,” he added.

Just before voting, Mr Mugliett released a statement to the press saying he did not want to destabilise the government at an important historic moment, referring to the eventual enacting of divorce legislation.

“I made my decision at 8 a.m. and it was only at noon that I met Jeffrey (Pullicino Orlando) in Parliament and I heard his side of the story,” Mr Mugliett said.