Parliament opens tomorrow after a long summer recess amid speculation about an early election and the Government’s ability to retain its parliamentary majority.
It is an unfortunate fact that for most of this year the Government permitted a few of its backbench MPs to hijack the country’s agenda and pursue their self-interest.
Much as one can sympathise with the Prime Minister’s awful predicament, appeasement has not been the right approach as the rebel MPs’ demands got worse and the Government was wounded as a result.
Worse, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici and Malta’s permanent representative to the EU Richard Cachia Caruana were both forced out after two separate Opposition motions calling on them to resign were backed by individual Government MPs.
As a result of these rebel votes all three dissident MPs were banned from contesting the next election on the Nationalist Party ticket. Jesmond Mugliett did not seem to mind, pointing out he had already declared he would not be a candidate in the forthcoming election; Franco Debono protested and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando resigned from the Nationalist Party, but promised to support the Government in his capacity as an independent MP – as long as the Administration stuck to its electoral programme.
Dr Pullicino Orlando’s resignation from the PN in effect created a minority government, as Lawrence Gonzi lost his automatic one-seat parliamentary majority, yet the Prime Minister decided to carry on governing as he was ‘assured’ of Dr Pullicino Orlando’s support. However, there is no doubt that the Government has been limping and the unpredictability of these rebel MPs continues to fuel uncertainty.
The Government’s message has been business as usual. It has decided to carry on with its legislative agenda and place responsibility for political stability on to its backbench. It is in effect telling its rebel MPs to support this Administration or assume responsibility for bringing it down.
There are a number of important motions for approval on Parliament’s agenda, including a resolution on the ratification of the EU’s fiscal pact, as well as a number of Bills at the second reading stage, including the Embryo Protection Bill, the Data Protection (Amendment) Bill, the Protection of the Whistleblower Bill, the Malta Financial Services Authority Bill and the Probation (Amendment) Bill.
Furthermore, the Government will at some stage present its Cohabitation Bill, its Bill to reform Parliament, and crucially, its Budget.
If the Budget is not approved, the Government will automatically collapse. Additionally, it is not clear what changes to the Embryo Protection Bill will be demanded by Pullicino Orlando in return for his support, and this could further embarrass the Government.
All this could be overshadowed by a most unwelcome diversion: a motion of no confidence in another member of the Government, this time Health Minister Joe Cassar.
We have been there before and it would be most unhealthy to go there again. Parliament should be a place for productive discussion and the formation of legislation that benefits the country, not for crusades against certain individuals. This has already gone on for far too long. It is damaging the political class and damaging the country.
So, as the opening of Parliament tomorrow is surrounded by uncertainty and questions over how the Government backbench is going to behave, the bigger question will re-emerge: how quickly will an election be called to put an end to the charades? Sooner rather than later hopefully.