Sant slams PN for exploiting ill-health

Former leader of the opposition Alfred Sant charged that in 2007, the Nationalist Party used his personal health problems for political purposes, publishing large posters showing him with black spots on his face after he had received chemotherapy following a cancer operation.

The opposition is doing its duty in presenting such a motion

In a passionate speech during the debate on the motion calling for the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Dr Sant said his family had been badly affected when someone underhandedly passed information to The Times that he was being transferred from Capua Hospital to St Luke’s Hospital for an urgent blood transfusion.

Dr Sant said it had not been his intention to speak on the motion, both out of sympathy with the Minister and respect for his father.

But he was disgusted by the speeches made by ministers Austin Gatt and George Pullicino, who with their attitude did more harm than good to the minister.

Minister Gatt showed arrogance and pretensions. Both ministers took the attitude that they had a divine right to govern, considering all those who interpreted events differently as being perverse, if not criminals. They accused the opposition of vilification, moral and psychological violence, lies and vindictiveness.

The opposition was only doing its duty in presenting such a motion.

It had taken its time to do so to give time to the minister to recover from his illness.

He accused Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi of being Machiavellian by appointing Dr Mifsud Bonnici as Leader of the House when the motion had already been tabled. The minister had been seen as trying to shelve the motion.

Dr Sant said the government in opposition had continuously criticised the Labour government with no holds barred. It had failed to inform the government that President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami, then opposition leader, had been sick when a motion he presented had to be moved in Parliament and later criticised the opposition for insisting that he should move his motion.

In this case, Dr Sant said, the current opposition took its time to move this motion because it knew the minister was sick and because of this the motion was not as strong as it had wanted it to be.

Nationalist MP Franco Debono was healthy and he was acting according to his conscience. One could also argue he was manipulating the opposition.

But in 1996 and 1998 the government had faced problems similar to those the government was now facing. There were problems of a medical nature but the Nationalists did not give them consideration.

Dr Sant claimed that today’s dominating clique had taken over Mabel Strickland’s newspaper empire by changing her will. They did this to ensure that the newspaper could be used for their purposes. Today they were using public broadcasting without scruples for the benefit of the government much more than in the 1980s.

Dr Sant added that the Nationalist government was again using the power of incumbency and doling out preferential treatment in the civil service, the police corps, the army, the health ministry and the University.

Labour MPs Justyne Caruana, Owen Bonnici, Chris Cardona, Gino Cauchi, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca and Helena Dalli also contributed to the debate.