Opposition leader Joseph Muscat has asked the Speaker to urgently recall Parliament from its recess, adding yet another twist to the ongoing political saga that is threatening the government’ssurvival.
Uncertainty is hindering the country’s progress- Muscat
In a letter to Speaker Michael Frendo yesterday afternoon, Dr Muscat said it was in the national interest for Parliament to meet in an urgent session this week.
However, no formal notice of a motion of no confidence was presented, which means that the letter is a simple request.
Parliament is in recess and is expected to reconvene on January 18. With reference to Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono’s declaration that he expected the Prime Minister to recall Parliament, Dr Muscat said there were indications a majority of MPs agreed with an urgent meeting.
Dr Muscat said it was necessary to determine whether government enjoyed a parliamentary majority to removethe uncertainty that was hindering the country’s progress.
The letter was sent to the Speaker and circulated to the media a few hours after Dr Debono delivered a press conference in which he asked Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to resign or go for an election.
But Pietru Pawl Busuttil, the victim of a police frame-up in 1987 under a Labour government and mentioned by Dr Debono to prove his point how the Nationalist Party had abandoned its quest for human rights and justice reform, yesterday evening was on TVM asking the MP to resign.
“If he lost faith in Lawrence Gonzi, the voters of the fifth district have longlost their faith in Franco Debono,” Mr Busuttil said.
He is the Nationalist mayor of Safi, a village in Dr Debono’s constituency andcurrently preparing a petition calling for the MPs resignation.
No less scathing was PN backbencher Francis Zammit Dimech, who insisted that Dr Debono should not overstep his role as an MP and assume powers which are the Prime Minister’s prerogative.
“Franco Debono cannot assume the powers of a prime minister or that of a party leader,” Dr Zammit Dimech said.
Alternattiva Demokratika chairman Michael Briguglio said his party “was not rubbing its hands with glee” and expressed concern at the unfoldingsituation.
“A government should not collapse because of a Cabinet reshuffle or because an MP believes he should be made minister,” Dr Briguglio said. The whole affair, he added, proved that one-party governments did not necessarily provide stability.
“Today, we do not have a coalition but government and the country are being held ransom by a government backbencher. If AD were part of a coalition government instead of Dr Debono it would act responsibly in the country’s interest,” he said.
Debono should resign- Spiteri
Former Labour Minister Lino Spiteri, who fell out with his party leader in 1997 but still voted with the government side, yesterday said on TVM that Dr Debono should resign.
Mr Spiteri said MPs owed their allegiance to their constituents, who elected them in line with the party ticket they contested on. Apart from a few supporters expressing solidarity, Dr Debono’s Facebook wall was inundated with calls for his resignation.
The MP was yesterday evening a guest on One TV’s Bla Aġenda at the same time that a recorded interview with Dr Gonzi was airing on TVM’s Dissett.