A part-time Parliament
It’s not unheard of that parties which govern for many terms tend to lose touch with the people who helped to elect them. Sometimes, governments that find themselves in such situations need a strong dose of reality to jolt them out of their stupor.
It’s not unheard of that parties which govern for many terms tend to lose touch with the people who helped to elect them. Sometimes, governments that find themselves in such situations need a strong dose of reality to jolt them out of their stupor. However, some of the points listed by Helena Dalli are nothing but a partisan attack on Lawrence Gonzi and his government.
The €500 Cabinet salary hike is not outrageous in itself. Perhaps the way it was implemented lacked clarity. But let’s be honest here. Malta’s part-time Parliament is a farce when you think about it. How can a country be run by a part-time Parliament in this day and age? How can members of Parliament, especially Cabinet ministers, be expected to run the country while holding another full-time job to earn a living? It’s simply preposterous that Malta’s parliamentarians haven’t reformed Parliament to turn it into a full-time House and that’s the fault of both parties!
Now let’s look at Air Malta. Perhaps Dr Dalli hasn’t noticed that most airline companies have been experiencing the same problems as Air Malta. This is not to say that the company couldn’t have been managed better but Air Malta would still have experienced difficulties if the Labour Party were in government.
As for Dr Gonzi voting against the divorce referendum, I find no fault. Dr Gonzi voted on his conscience as opposed to many other MPs who simply toed the party line. Why does Dr Dalli think that everyone in Parliament should have voted in favour of the Bill? Malta is a democracy last time I heard and not a totalitarian regime where every member has to vote “Yes” regardless of their beliefs, opinions or conscience!
Then there’s the new Parliament building. I personally don’t agree with the location and the design. That said, having Parliament in the Grand Master’s Palace is a desecration of Malta’s heritage, especially considering the obscene modern lift built in the palace garden. Every country with hardly an exception has a major building dedicated to its Parliament or House of Representatives. Why should Malta be an exception?
I could go on with other points that Dr Dalli tried to make in an attempt to score political points but enough said.