With Austin Gatt in Cabinet I will not support the government - Franco Debono

Nationalist MP Franco Debono declared this evening that in spite of his attempts to be reconciliatory with the Nationalist Party in recent weeks, Minister Austin Gatt clearly wanted confrontation and “with him in Cabinet I will not support the government.”

He said he was taking this stand since it was Dr Gatt who, during the party's execicutve committee yesterday, was the most vociferous in opposing his candidature on grounds of having abstained in the public transport no confidence vote against him.

With today's declaration, Dr Debono was taking the step he took yesterday when he said he did not know what he would do in Parliament although it would be difficult to support the government, a step further.

He made his statement yesterday after the PN's executive banned him and fellow MPs Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Jesmond Mugliett from contesting the next election.

Dr Debono said this afternoon that this confrontation was uncalled for, especially with regards to Dr Pullicino Orlando and Mr Mugliett, who had already declared they would not contest the election.

He said he never said he wanted to contest, and had even resigned from the party, but he had wanted to work on the implementation of reforms he had campaigned for end this legislature on good terms with the party and had been very reconciliatory following his vote with Labour in their motion against former Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici.

The Nationalist MP said it was pay-back time for Austin Gatt who was getting his own back at him for abstaining in a motion of no confidence against him because of the Arriva disaster. Dr Debono said he had also criticised him after the BWSC heavy fuel oil fiasco.

“Had he had the basic decency to resign after his two major fiascos in three years and after the Prime Minister asked him to resign from Cabinet to direct the party's electoral campaign, I would not have had to abstain.”

Everyone in Malta remembered that before he (Dr Debono) had taken that stand, Dr Gatt had been making fun of everyone and shirking responsibility, he said.

“As soon as I took my stand, the routes were changed for the better. I am proud to have taken that stand because it was in the best interest of the people. Because of that stand, Dr Gatt has now objected to my candidature and the irony of the situation isthat the person responsible for the fiasco, Manuel Delia, will be a candidate on fifth district. If this is not totalitarianism then tell me what it is. It is worse than an oligarchy," he said.

Dr Debono said he resigned from the PN in November last year when Dr Gatt had been given a standing ovation during the PN General Council soon after he had abstained on the motion of no confidence in Dr Gatt.

His resignation, which he had felt was necessary because while the people in general were complaining about Arriva, those within the party were giving the minister a standing ovation, had not been accepted.

"It is clear that Dr Gatt's actions are personal."

He pointed out that during yesterday’s meeting of the executive, he also strongly objected to the condemnation on the technical point that it should have come from the administrative council. He insisted that nothing should be decided before the point he was making was discussed as it would annul the condemnation.

After he was told that he would not be allowed to contest, Dr Debono said he told the Prime Minister this was shameful especially since only that morning he had launched the police task force reform - one of his reforms, on which he had not agreed with the former minister.

“It is these buzullotti which must stop,” he said, adding that Dr Mifsud Bonnici had not resigned because of him but because of his mismanagement.