The Labour Party was gaining more support as after last week’s events people were now realising the government was clinging on to power to the detriment of the country, party leader Joseph Muscat said yesterday.
Judgement day will arrive
“We are increasing in numbers... The Nationalist Party is clinging on to power but we are clinging to the people,” he told the cheering crowd that packed the Marsaxlokk Labour Party club yesterday.
Dr Muscat said the country had witnessed Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi fail two democratic tests during this legislature.
In the first, he ignored the fact that the people had voted for the introduction of divorce during the May referendum. He then went ahead and voted against divorce in Parliament.
And last week, Dr Muscat said, Dr Gonzi failed to admit he had lost the majority in Parliament. The no-confidence motion had been defeated because of the Speaker’s casting vote following the abstention of Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono.
Dr Muscat said Dr Gonzi was “abdicating” from the responsibility of calling a general election and was allowing the clique of people who surrounded him to hold the country hostage.
“He is trying to buy time...Judgement day will arrive... the Prime Minister can’t tire us out with his games,” he said.
He stressed that the PL was in no hurry for a general election but, for every day that passed and Dr Gonzi did not call the election, there would be further instability. Ultimately, families and businesses suffered due to this instability.
This week, Dr Muscat said, the Prime Minister would be going to Brussels for an important heads of State summit on the eurozone crisis. He was sure that other leaders would be questioning whether Dr Gonzi had the power to implement important decisions taken during such meetings.
Dr Muscat said that by Tuesday the Prime Minister had to officially announce whether a general election was going to be held in March or whether there would only be the local council elections. That was the day by when the official writ to hold the elections for the 34 councils on March 10 was to be published.
He had no doubt the Prime Minister would opt for the most irresponsible route and just hold the local council elections.
He accused the government of “playing with democracy” by dissolving the Sliema local council – which was due to have an election next year – so that it would look like the Nationalists did better in the local council elections.
Despite this the PL was ready for these elections, as well as a general election, he said, adding: “Bring them on”.
In the afternoon, the Labour party accused the Prime Minister of putting his party before Parliament when seeking confirmation of his leadership in a secret PN ballot.
Dr Gonzi was trying to cling to power through the clique that was running the country and his party.
What the Prime Minister needed to realise was that he needed a majority in Parliament rather than in the party, the PL said.
The Nationalist Party accused Dr Muscat of being power hungry to the point that he was not recognising that his no-confidence motion had been defeated.