The collaboration between the PN and the Democratic Party (PD) was the start of something which could only get stronger, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said this morning.
He said it made sense to continue the PN-PD collaboration in Parliament, even because Marlene Farrugia and Godfrey Farrugia were elected on behalf of the PD on the PN list.
“Their two seats are intrinsically entwined with the PN because they [Marlene and Godfrey Farrugia] were also elected with the votes of PN supporters.”
The PD candidates, he said, had agreed to respect the Opposition whip and the PN-PD would work as a united opposition respecting the distinction between them.
Reflecting on the need to present a strong and effective Opposition, Dr Busuttil said in a Radio 101 interview that the PN had managed to force the government’s collapse after only four years despite having been elected with a 35,000-vote majority and a nine-seat difference in Parliament.
“We have to be an effective Opposition from the start of the legislature and this is why I assigned shadowing roles to all PN MPs,” he said.
PN leadership election
Dr Busuttil admitted that his decision to resign might have been different had the PN lost the election by a narrower margin.
But he had to assume responsibility and step down after the electoral defeat, because that was what was done in normal countries.
He said he expected ‘quite a number’ of candidates for the leadership, which ‘has its thorns but is also a privilege’.
However, he said, he was proud of what he had achieved and the enthusiasm which had been rekindled within the PN. Some 1,000 people joined the party after the election, he said. 400 registered to become volunteers.
Magisterial inquiries: Nothing has changed
Focussing on the magisterial inquiries involving the prime minister, minister Konrad Mizzi and chief of staff Keith Schembri, Dr Busuttil said the election did not launder away wrongdoing.
He expressed confidence in the magistrates and hoped they would conclude their investigations at the soonest so that justice could prevail.
“Part of the disappointment of the electoral result was related to the fact that a Prime Minister under investigation managed to win so big. but that is democracy,” he said, adding that as long as he remained leader he would continue following these cases to ensure justice was done.
Same-sex marriage
In the interview, Dr Busuttil confirmed the Opposition would back the Bill on same-sex marriage because same-sex marriage already exists “in substance.”
He said the Civil Unions Act introduced three years ago gave same-sex couples the same rights and obligations as married couples, “a reality the party accepted”.
Dr Busuttil acknowledged that this was a sensitive subject but noted that the PN had included the proposal in its electoral manifesto and would support the law in Parliament.
“We feel the law needs improvement in certain aspects and this is something that can be done at committee stage but it does not change the substance of what the law is proposing,” Dr Busuttil said.