In a ruling handed down last Monday night, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anglu Farrugia, severely reprimanded the Prime Minister over words he attributed to my colleague Tonio Fenech.
The last time these kinds of motives were attributed to the Opposition was during the Mintoff governments
This ruling is rather extraordinary and should command our attention. That it came from a Speaker who was appointed by the Government less than three months ago is even more noteworthy.
It all happened during a debate on the Prime Minister’s statement on last week’s European Council Summit in Brussels.
The Prime Minister rose to reply to several questions asked in reaction to his statement by myself and a number of other colleagues, including the Opposition’s Spokesperson on Finance, Tonio Fenech.
In his reply - and without being provoked in any manner whatsoever - the Prime Minister unilaterally lashed out at Fenech accusing him of “incitement” during meetings with officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He added that the Government would not take this kind of “undermining”.
These harsh and unwarranted words caught everyone by surprise.
Understandably, Fenech rose to strongly object to these words and asked for the Speaker’s protection. The Speaker intervened and twice in a row asked the Prime Minister to clarify his words. But the Prime Minister pointedly failed to do so. The Speaker was then asked to give a ruling on the matter.
The Standing Orders of the House make it clear that “no member shall use offensive or unbecoming words against the character or proceedings of the House or in reference to any member.” and that “no bad motive shall be attributed to any member”.
The Standing Orders add that “any member having used objectionable words and not retracting the same, or offering apologies for the use thereof, to the satisfaction of the House, shall be censured or otherwise dealt with as the House may think fit.”
In his ruling, handed down after more than two hours of deliberation, the Speaker said he is duty bound to ensure that no offensive words are used against the House or any of its Members.
The Speaker said that the Prime Minister had resorted to “an unhappy choice of words” in relation to Fenech and could have used other words to portray his thoughts without attributing ulterior motives to Fenech, as he did. He added that it was within the Prime Minister’s rights to substantiate his allegation as long as he does not impute ulterior motives.
Put in other words, the Speaker severely censured the Prime Minister for his actions.
This is a rare occurrence to take place in the House in this manner whereby the Speaker censures a member of the House. That this member also happens to be the Prime Minister is a cause for grave concern. It is a serious matter that cannot and should not be taken lightly.
I am making this point because, regrettably, the Government is adopting a very worrying approach when dealing with criticism levelled by the Opposition in Parliament.
Instead of rebutting our criticism and explaining where and why it disagrees with us, the Government is repeatedly accusing the Opposition of sowing doubts, fear and lately, even going as far as accusing us of undermining the national interest.
The last time these kinds of motives were attributed to the Opposition was during the Mintoff governments which were not, by any measure, the heydays of our democracy. Quite the opposite really.
The way the Government is attacking the Opposition in a manner and with a choice of words that remind us of these bygone years, is a matter of concern.
Lest it needs reminding, the role of the Opposition is to keep the Government under close scrutiny and hold it to account.
This role and function is of the essence in a normal democracy and we are committed to honour it. Accusing the Opposition that performs its tasks of undermining the national interest is an attack on the Opposition and therefore an attack on democracy.
The Prime Minister’s words and actions in Parliament last Monday are condemnable and I trust that the Prime Minister will respect the ruling of the Speaker and withdraw his accusations against Mr Fenech.
This behaviour does not augur well for the climate that ought to prevail in the House. And I hope that this is not a sign of things to come.
Dr Simon Busuttil is the Leader of the Opposition.