Parliament this evening unanimously ratified a eurozone agreement to extend the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF) and a bill authorising the government to issue loans to Greece in terms of a bailout agreement reached last year.
The debate was concluded at 11 p.m. with a sharp exchange between Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and former Prime Minister Alfred Sant.
The debate started on Wednesday, when the debate stretched from 6.30 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Thursday. It continued today between 6.30 and 11 p.m, with Dr Sant raising questions about the accuracy of documents presented to the House by the government and also questioning the legislative procedure that was being followed. (see separate story at http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111010/local/bailout-funds-sant-insists-shortcomings-in-legal-texts-cannot-be-ignored.388595 )
As the debate was being concluded, Dr Sant remarked that for the future he expected more seriousness from the government, which, he said, had been arrogant and produced draft legislation which was half baked. Such matters, involving millions of euro, should not be rushed through the House, but needed to be well thought out and considered, he said, more so because in the case of the eurozone crisis, he feared that matters would get worse before they got better.
Dr Gonzi said the government had acted prudently. It had communicated with the opposition, produced all documents, given all explanations, and then it was promised that the debate would be concluded last Wednesday.
Yet on Wednesday, the debate was extended to today and it continued up to 11p.m.
"We gave replies to all the questions asked by the Opposition, and I cannot accept this declaration that we acted arrogantly when we did our best to communicate with the Opposition in the best interests of Malta and, in this matter, the eurozone," Dr Gonzi said.
He said that what he had witnessed was hours of surrealism as if this country was not recognising that a storm was raging all around it and it needed to act.
Charles Mangion, opposition spokesman for economic affairs, said that when the minister contacted him, he was abroad, but on other resolutions ,talks had been held between the government and the opposition. Furthermore, there was no denying that the points raised in the debate by Alfred Sant were valid, as proved by the amendments moved by the government. It was good to have a detailed debate on such matters.
Dr Sant said the proof of the pudding was in the eating, and the government had come up with a half-baked pudding, treating the subject in a superficial way and producing documents which were not up to date.
One could not have mistakes on such crucial matters involving millions of euro. Dr Sant denied there had been serious consultation with the Opposition. Indeed, he got the most important documents for this debate from the websites of the parliaments of Germany, Ireland and Italy.
Dr Gonzi said Dr Sant should have raised his difficulties or his questions when the government invited the Opposition to do so. What had happened in this debate led him to wonder who the government should consult in future, Dr Muscat, Dr Mangion, Karmenu Vella (opposition spokesman on finance) or Dr Sant?
The agreement with the Opposition had been for the resolutions to be approved last Wednesday.
Dr Sant said everyone had a right to speak during the committee stage and he made his points known last Monday. He had a right and a duty to speak out on the difficulties he saw, while being loyal to the Opposition's decision to back the resolutions.
See also:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111011/local/Bridging-the-eurozone-s-cultural-gap.388616