Opposition Whip David Agius yesterday accused the government of showing contempt of Parliament after its MPs failed to attend a meeting called by the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee “because of previous engagements” but one of them then turned up in plenary.
PAC chairman Tonio Fenech had insisted during the day yesterday that an urgent meeting of the committee, which he had called on Tuesday for yesterday evening, should go ahead, irrespective of the claims by the government that its members could not attend.
Mr Fenech had called the meeting after the Speaker, Anġlu Farrugia, ruled on Monday that the PAC could ask the government to produce the contract awarded to Henley and Partners for the administration of the citizenship scheme.
Labour Whip Carmelo Abela had told him it was not possible for Labour MPs to attend because of other commitments, Mr Fenech said yesterday.
He expressed disappointment at the government’s tactics in cancelling the meeting. He was sure that with a little of effort the government, which had 39 MPs, could have at least found one MP to ensure that the committee had a quorum and the meeting could proceed.
During the day there had been a flurry of activity at the Office of the Speaker on the issue, with messages toing-and-froing from one side to the other.
Then, during last night’s parliamentary sitting, while Minister Helena Dalli was introducing the debate in second reading of a Bill amending the Equality for Men and Women Act, Mr Agius observed that PAC member Karmenu Vella was in the House and he could therefore have attended the committee meeting.
The government’s attitude, he said, constituted contempt of Parliament and he asked the Speaker to regulate the situation.
Speaker had to take Abela’s word on whether a member could attend the meeting
Mr Abela insisted that there was no urgency for the PAC to meet. The chairman, he said, had not even had the decency to consult all the committee members before calling the meeting, even though another meeting had already been scheduled (for June 3).
He asked how democratic it would have been had one Labour MP attended the PAC alone when the Opposition was represented by three.
Mr Agius said the PAC had been due to discuss an issue of national importance.
The Speaker told Mr Agius that he had to take Mr Abela’s word on whether a member could or could not attend the meeting.
He could not tell whether Mr Vella, who was at the time in the Chamber, would leave to attend another engagement within the next 15 minutes.
He said the chair had noted all comments and, as usual, he urged both sides to see sense as he did whenever he delivered a ruling.