Labour MP Adrian Vassallo has had a meeting with Labour leader Joseph Muscat and restored his relations with the party.
He told the Labour media in an interview held at his request today that comments he gave in the past few weeks may have been misunderstood and they had been misinterpreted, although he admitted he was responsible for the choice of words.
Dr Vassallo confirmed his decision not to seek re-election but said he was doing so because of his age, family life and pressures of work (He had previously said that he felt there was no place for him in the PL. He had also spoken of a dictatorial situation in the PL)
In today's remarks, Dr Vassallo back-pedalled on remarks that he did not attend parliamentary group meetings because they were simply a rubber stamp of the leader's wishes and said he did not attend because of his busy schedule as a doctor. He denied that meetings of the group are a rubber-stamp exercise and regretted that he had been understood at saying that.
Dr Vassallo said that under Dr Sant's leadership, the parliamentary group sometimes even took secret votes. He said that he had told current leader Joseph Muscat that he could not attend group meetings because of his work, but said the whip always kept him informed, and even sought his views before particular issues were discussed. He therefore regretted previous remarks, he said.
Dr Vassallo said that since his letter to Dr Muscat and his TV appearance (on Bondi Plus) he had had correspondence with Dr Muscat, who also called at his home where they had discussed the situation.
He stressed that there was no animosity and he would always remain loyal to the party on the basis of its electoral programme.
"Dr Muscat always respected my views, views which can be seen as being conservative," Dr Vassallo said.
He reiterated his view that divorce was 'more harm than good' and said he had voted against divorce because of the free vote.
Asked about rumours that he might vote with the PN on the censure motion against minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici on Wednesday, Dr Vassallo insisted he would vote with Labour, not because anybody had told him so, but out of a sense of duty. Had he opposed the Labour motion, he said, he would have voiced his opposition earlier, he said.
He would remain loyal to the party up to and even after the general election he said, especially since, under the PN, he was seeing an increasing number of family problems, social problems and poverty.
He could continue much of his work without serving in parliament, he said. Others could take care of the parliamentary business.
"I am not retiring from parliament on bad terms with the Labour Party. Everything comes to an end and I feel the time has come to leave the political arena," he said.
See Dr Vassallo's original comments at http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120510/local/vassallo-in-scating-criticism-of-ditatorial-joseph-muscat.419242
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