The divorce Bill will be enacted by Parliament within days, with MPs given a free vote, but some Nationalist MPs are waiting for the Prime Minister to say how he will vote before making up their own minds on the matter.
A number of them had been prepared to vote Yes to respect the electorate’s wishes but are now unsure whether they should be the ones to stick their necks out given they have no clear direction yet from the party’s leader, The Times has learnt.
Sources at a parliamentary group meeting held at the PN headquarters yesterday, in the aftermath of Sunday’s referendum result in favour of divorce, said Lawrence Gonzi was repeatedly asked by his MPs to state his voting intentions but remained evasive. The impression among some in the parliamentary group, however, is that he is likely to abstain.
Afterwards, Dr Gonzi was equally cagey with reporters: “The will of the electorate must be reflected in Parliament,” was all that he said after the three-hour meeting, adding that the parliamentary process would begin in “the coming days”.
In answer to questions, a spokesman for the Nationalist Party repeated: “The Prime Minister, together with the PN Parliamentary Group and the rest of Parliament, will vote in a way that will ensure that the outcome of the divorce referendum is fully respected.”
During the parliamentary group meeting it was decided that Nationalist MPs are to be given a free vote, meaning the party whip will not insist on everyone voting in the same way.
Dr Gonzi also made it clear he will speed up the process of enacting a cohabitation law and a law to regulate IVF, so as to avoid these controversial issues cropping up at the next general election, sources said.
Yesterday’s meeting, which was held after a meeting of the Cabinet, saw a clash between anti-divorce MPs who insisted they would abstain and others who said all MPs should vote yes to respect the electorate’s decision.
Sources told The Times that several MPs (who were previously against divorce) made it clear they would vote yes, joining Jesmond Mugliett, Karl Gouder and pro-divorce campaigner Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who had all declared their pro-divorce stance before the referendum.
However, many were irritated by Dr Gonzi’s failure to declare his intentions, leaving no clear direction.
“You are counting on us to vote Yes so that the Bill can be passed comfortably but you are going to leave us to do it alone,” one MP is said to have told the Prime Minister during the meeting.
“If the leader of the party decides to abstain, he is sending us a message,” a source told The Times.
Meanwhile, a number of other MPs argued that the “no vote” should also be represented in Parliament, primarily through abstentions.
Those who were most vocal against divorce throughout the referendum campaign evaded questions from the press yesterday, including Finance Minister Tonio Fenech and Transport Minister Austin Gatt, who both refused to say how they plan to vote on the Bill.
MP Edwin Vassallo and Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono both said they would vote according to their consciences but did not specify what this meant. MP Beppe Fenech Adami and Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg said the people’s decision had to be respected but did not specify how they would vote.
Meanwhile, MP Stephen Spiteri said he would abstain.
MP Ċensu Galea said he would vote according to the decision of the people, without making any reservations, as did Franco Debono, Joe Falzon and Jean Pierre Farrugia.
Pro-divorce MP Karl Gouder, who will be voting for the Bill, said: “God forbid we as parliamentarians do not do what people told us to do. I didn’t think it would go through but that result is a message to us all and we should respect it.”
After the meeting, Mr Mugliett said those who were anti-divorce should not vote against and, at most, should abstain. Asked if some MPs wanted to vote No, he said he would leave it up to them to explain.
Before the meeting, Dr Pullicino Orlando was asked whether he still felt comfortable within his party.
“I was, am and will remain comfortable within the Nationalist Party. I have been militating within this party since I was 15 and I am proud of that,” he said.
He added: “I think an MP stops being a representative of the people if he acts against the public’s will. But that is the judgment the public has to make in the next election.”
Meanwhile, Labour MP Carmelo Abela yesterday confirmed to The Times that, although he was against divorce, he was morally obliged to respect the will of the electorate and vote in favour.