Nationalist MP Franco Debono last night softened his stand over his demand that Transport Minister Austin Gatt assume political responsibility for the bus service reform “fiasco”, sources said.
Speaking after a detailed presentation by Dr Gatt on plans to improve the service, Dr Debono explained he had taken his stand before the latest changes were announced. Sources close to the party executive said Dr Debono listened carefully to the hour-long presentation and then asked Dr Gatt a series of questions which were answered by the Minister.
He did not, however, declare whether he was going back on his intention to abstain on an opposition motion calling for Dr Gatt’s resignation unless the Minister shoulder political responsibility for the way the reform has turned out.
Dr Debono has been adamant that if Dr Gatt was not going to do “the honourable thing”, he would abstain in the vote on the motion in Parliament.
But the sources said Dr Debono last night adopted a different tone to the one he had used at the last executive meeting on Thursday, when he insisted he was sticking to his guns.
MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, expected by many to be Dr Debono’s ally in his crusade, listened to the presentation and left the meeting. He did not exit the building from the front door where the press was waiting.
Members of the party executive were tight-lipped on leaving Dar Ċentrali, the PN headquarters, with only Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi stopping to the speak to journalists waiting outside.
He said there had been “unanimous agreement” among the party executive that the reform was needed for the country and that the government was tackling the matter seriously.
While acknowledging that a lot still had to be done, Dr Gonzi said the agreement was that the government should continue addressing the issue, as it was already doing, to see an improved public transport service soon.
During his presentation, Dr Gatt gave a blow-by-blow account of how the reform was shaped and how the foreign consultants had formulated the new routes. He also explained, in detail, areas for which he was politically responsible and other areas which fell under the direct responsibility of the operator, Arriva.
He told the executive members how the government was tackling the issue with Arriva, twice threatening to terminate the contract due to the poor level of service.
The discussion following the presentation included members saying that political responsibility did not mean resigning.
Sources described the meeting as calm. Dr Gatt on several occasions said that he was assuming responsibility for the decisions taken at the political level. Dr Debono’s warning was not directly discussed.
Dr Gatt repeatedly said that the bus service was “disappointing”, adding that no one had ever expected it to turn out the way it did.
Dr Gonzi said the executive may hold another meeting to further discuss the subject before the matter is due to be discussed in Parliament through the Opposition’s motion on November 4.
Dr Debono did not comment to the press after the meeting. His decision to abstain from voting on the motion, placing in the balance the government’s one-seat majority, came a few days before Dr Gatt announced radical changes to the public transport routes, with all localities being given a direct link to Mater Dei Hospital and Valletta from November 6.