I have nothing but respect for President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami. Over the years I may have agreed with him sometimes and disagreed with him most times, but nobody can ever deny that he has been a political servant of Malta for too long a time to garner anything but respect. This is why his comments leave such a bitter taste.

Dr Fenech Adami saw fit to comment on the role of our MPs following the divorce referendum.

Many of us remember the constitutional upheavals following the 1981 election result. Eventually Parliament, led at the time by a Labour government, voted to amend the Constitution to ensure that the will of the majority of the electorate is respected at all times.

This was done for two reasons: to allay any fears of uncertainty in the formation of a government and, more importantly, to ensure that the country got the government which the majority had voted for. This same reasoning has to be applied to the divorce referendum.

Put simply, the people have spoken. Parliament must now follow suit. To do otherwise is tantamount to disrespecting the will of the majority as expressed voluntarily in the referendum result. This is why, after all, the government chose to hold the referendum: it felt it needed to know what the people thought about divorce.

Now the government knows and has to do its utmost to ensure that the appropriate legislation is passed through Parliament. Not to do otherwise would be a disservice to our democratic ideals and could lead to calls for the government’s resignation.

Dr Fenech Adami feels otherwise. His opinion is that the referendum vote may be “another form of totalitarianism, concealed under the appearance of democracy”. He also states: “I have always maintained that moral issues should not be decided on the principle of democratic majorities but, rather, on the principle of what is morally right.”

Herein lies the million dollar question – what is morally right? Are the Taliban morally right? Is communism morally right? Was Archbishop Michael Gonzi morally right in the Sixties? Is Joseph Muscat morally right?

Everybody has the right to their opinion and the very essence of democracy lies in the fact that the will of the majority is to prevail, with proper respect for the rights of minorities.

To be morally right is to accept the will of the people. The will of the people must be respected, and, yes, our MPs must stand up and be counted – on the side of the majority as defined by the referendum result.