The government’s apparent resistance to put on Parliament’s agenda a private members’ motion on justice and home affairs, put forward by two Opposition MPs, had Labour officials questioning the motive yesterday.
The government had no difficulty to put the opposition’s motion on the agenda
“Leader of the House Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici appears to be using his position to postpone debate in Parliament on a motion that concerns his actions as minister,” Labour deputy leader Anġlu Farrugia said.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Labour Whip Joe Mizzi, Dr Farrugia said Parliament was being run in a disgraceful manner and had been reduced to “a farce”.
Until recently, Dr Mifsud Bonnici was responsible for both areas but justice was removed from his portfolio and given to newly-appointed minister Chris Said in the Cabinet reshuffle that took place in January.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici said during a meeting of the House Business Committee on Monday that he could not set a date when the motion would be debated although the government wanted all private members’ motions to be debated.
Dr Farrugia noted that Foreign Minister Tonio Borg, when still Leader of the House, had promised in December that the Opposition motion would be debated by the end of January. Now February was over and no date had yet been set.
Mr Mizzi said the Prime Minister was putting the interests of the Nationalist Party before the dignity of Parliament.
As a result, several Bills were being debated but the government was ensuring none came up for a vote.
The debate on the Budget Measures Implementation Bill, despite its urgency, had not even started, Mr Mizzi said, adding this Bill had a three-month deadline.
No vote has been taken in the House since the Speaker used his casting vote at the end of a no-confidence debate in January.
Mr Mizzi said Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s claim that he could not set a date for the debate because MPs had to go abroad on official business did not hold water and only served to prolong political instability.
The government had pushed for a procedural motion in 2009 that was still valid and which stated that parliamentary votes had to be held on specific days so as not to hinder ministers’ appointments abroad.
In a reaction, the Home Affairs Ministry said the government had no difficulty to put the opposition’s motion on the agenda “at some point”.
He said it was wrong for the Opposition to attribute ulterior motives when its representatives on the House Business Committee did not have the courage to raise them at Monday’s meeting.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com