Justice Minister Owen Bonnici and Labour MP Charles Mangion reacted strongly to criticism from Shadow Minister Jason Azzopardi that the government was not consulting the Opposition on Bills that it was to present to the House.
Speaking during the debate in second reading of the Succession Amendment Bill, Dr Azzopardi said that this was the rule under the Nationalist government; now it had become the exception.
During his winding up, Dr Bonnici said the government and Opposition were working closely together to ensure that the reform of the justice system would be unilaterally accepted.
However, the minister said, the Opposition often bit the hand of cooperation.
Dr Bonnici noted that Dr Azzopardi had presented a Private Members’ Bill relating to government property. He found it odd that a few days earlier, members of NGOs had said that this legislation had been in the pipeline during the previous administration.
The Opposition often bites the hand of cooperation
As a minister, Dr Bonnici added, he had been keen to see the draft so that matters in this sector could proceed smoothly.
The next thing he knew, however, was that Dr Azzopardi was tabling this draft in Parliament without notice and certainly without consultation: “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander!” he remarked.
The minister also asked if this Bill, proposed by the Opposition, had not in fact been drafted during the previous administration by private lawyers using public funds.
If this was the case, Dr Bonnici warned, then someone must answer for the fact that the legislation was not placed on the agenda before the end of the legislature.
Earlier, Dr Mangion recalled that the two instances of Nationalist ministers sending pre-advice to their Labour counterparts were, first, to inform them that utility charges would be increased.
Secondly, a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) would be created to handle Enemalta’s assets because the corporation was on the verge of bankruptcy and the EU was breathing down the nationalist government’s neck.