The case of Nationalist MP Franco Debono is one of very few in Malta's political history where an MP may bring down the government, without crossing the floor.

(What Franco Debono is doing) is tantamount to crossing the floor, when a one-seat majority is at stake

According to historian Henry Frendo, Dr Debono is “a loner acting rather like a rogue elephant”.

Though there were a couple of instances in Malta’s political history where MPs crossed the floor, or withheld their support for their party, none could be compared to the situation facing the government, he said.

“(What Dr Debono is doing) is tantamount to crossing the floor when a one-seat majority is at stake,” he said when contacted.

Prof. Frendo questions the extent to which an MP elected in the interest of a party by constituents can criticise, attack and disavow his own party and its leadership, thereby dragging down a lawfully-elected Administration.

“The Italians have a saying: Chi troppo la stira, la strappa (who stretches it too much, snaps it). This is what Dr Debono is doing now.”

Prof. Frendo said there were a few instances when crossing the floor, or withholding support, by voting against it, led to the resignation of an Administration. This happened in 1955 when Johnnie Cole shifted from Paul Boffa’s Workers’ Party to Dom Mintoff’s Labour Party, dealing a blow to a coalition government formed by George Borg Olivier and Dr Boffa, which was already struggling. He later emigrated to Australia.

Prof. Frendo said the other better known case concerned former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff himself, when in 1998 he brought about the downfall of Alfred Sant’s Administration and eventually the end of his leadership as well as Mr Mintoff’s direct involvement in Maltese politics, which had started in the 1930s.

There were other instances since the 1920s when deputies changed sides but such actions did not topple the government, which had relative majorities.

He mentioned as examples the late Union Press journalist Paul Carachi who had demanded an “independent” seat in Parliament in Mr Mintoff’s time. There was also the case of lawyer Wenzu Mintoff who began to act as a representative of Alternattiva Demokratika, which he co-founded in 1989, while being an MP elected on the Labour ticket. Dr Mintoff had disagreed with, among others, the late Lorry Sant and his antics.

In 1962, Kurunat Attard, the father of Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, had crossed the floor from Herbert Ganado’s Partito Democratico Nazionalista to Dr Borg Olivier’s PN, giving the latter 26 out of 50 seats.

Prof. Frendo said this had strengthened the ruling party’s hand while Dr Ganado’s party, like the other small “anti-Independence” or “Church” parties, ceased to exist after Independence was attained in 1964.

Similarly, when Alfred Baldacchino crossed from the opposition benches to join the side of the Labour government in the early 1970s, he strengthened Mr Mintoff’s hand, rather than imperilling his reign, according to Prof. Frendo.

He believes that, with the exception of Mr Mintoff’s actions in 1998, it is not correct to compare what Dr Debono is doing today to any of the cases listed above.

“It is true that in 1949, (Dom) Mintoff split the Malta Labour Party, facilitating the return to office of the Nationalist Party under Nerik Mizzi and Dr Borg Olivier from 1950 but he had taken his case to the party’s general council and carried it, taking over the party leadership himself from Boffa.

“Debono, on the contrary, is more of a loner acting rather like a rogue elephant,” he said.

Prof. Frendo, who had contested the local council elections in Attard on the PN ticket, stresses that political parties have “lobbies, caucuses and fora within which policy should be formulated . . . God forbid this means that individual MPs cannot give vent to particular grievances, such as opposing incompetence, misconduct, le­thargy or indeed policy.

“But, normally, there are ways and ways this may be done without overstepping the mark as shown by, among others, (PN backbencher) Jean-Pierre Farrugia in his opposition to the controversial honoraria question.”

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