Independent MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is today expecting Parliament to agree on a date to discuss a motion chastising Government’s suspended proposal to privatise car parks.
We are in a coalition situation but if the PN keeps working in these parameters, I will work well
“I am not of the frame of mind to create trouble or to stomp my feet,” he said when contacted.
“However, I have given valid reasons for wanting this decision debated, which were echoed by The Times in its editorial when it described this decision as ‘bizarre’ and ‘anti-democratic’.
“This is why it should be discussed irrespective of the fact that it has been withdrawn.”
Nonetheless, when asked for his position on the motion, which could be converted into a vote of confidence in Transport Minister Austin Gatt, the independent MP said he would rather make his position known in Parliament during the debate.
The House Business Committee, which decides on the schedule of debates in Parliament, is due to meet today after a bumpy first session on Monday where both Dr Pullicino Orlando and rebel MP Franco Debono demanded the Opposition motion be heard urgently.
The motion, presented on Friday, aims at repealing the Government’s proposal to privatise car parks, through a call for tenders issued by Transport Malta last week.
During the session on Monday, Leader of the House Tonio Borg argued that the urgency of the motion faded once Cabinet had decided to ditch the proposal about an hour before the committee met.
However, Dr Debono, Dr Pullicino Orlando and the Opposition MPs insisted on their demand for the debate to take place as soon as possible.
Dr Debono later added an amendment, to convert the motion into a confidence vote in Dr Gatt, who both dissenting MPs have repeatedly criticised severely.
Eventually, Dr Borg asked to be able to discuss the matter with his parliamentary group before reconvening.
Dr Pullicino Orlando said: “I think this is fair enough but now I expect that tomorrow [today] we reach an agreement on when it is going to be discussed.”
My intention is to stick to what I had said when I declared myself an independent MP
Asked if he would be seeking a vote on the House Business Committee – a prospect which would in practice give him a casting vote – Dr Pullicino Orlando said he had no plans for such a request.
In fact, he also stressed that he was happy with the level of cooperation he had with the government and the space he was being given.
“I am being given the space I asked for when I resigned from the Nationalist Party and declared myself an independent MP.
“As long as this continues to happen, I don’t see a reason why I should ask to be given a vote,” he told The Times yesterday.
In this vein, he said he appreciated Dr Borg’s proposal to prioritise the cohabitation and IVF Bills, which the Żebbuġ MP had said he wanted to see through before the end of the legislature.
The question of whether Dr Pullicino Orlando will be demanding a vote on the House Business Committee is salient in the prevailing political crisis because it is the body that decides proceedings in Parliament.
So far, in spite of several torpedoes fired by backbenchers, not least by Dr Debono, the Government has been able to manage potentially embarrassing votes as it controlled the House Business Committee.
Should Dr Pullicino Orlando gain a vote on the committee, the Government would have lost the power to postpone embarrassing debates.
For this to happen, a motion would have to be voted upon in Parliament but with the Opposition having a strong interest in giving the independent MP such power, a positive outcome would be likely.
However, the former divorce campaign frontman was at pains to stress he had no real plans to make such a demand if the Government kept showing “goodwill”.
“My intention is to stick to what I had said when I declared myself an independent MP. I was given a mandate for the PN administration to keep serving its full term as much as possible,” he said.
“We are in a coalition situation but if the PN keeps working in these parameters, I will work well. If I feel that it’s not working as it should, then I will reconsider.”