Nationalist MP Franco Debono insisted in parliament this evening that he was prepared to help the prime minister bring about the reforms which everybody agreed about.
Speaking in parliament during the confidence debate, Dr Debono said he and his family had made sacrifices in order to promote constitution reform and reform in justice and home affairs.
"I wish to offer my help to the prime minister if he is committed to bringing about these reforms," Dr Debono said.
This offer, the Nationalist MP said, was not anything new. He had repeatedly offered to help, as was evidenced by his speeches and motions in parliament over the past four years.
What had happened on Wednesday, Dr Debono said, re-established parliament as the highest institution in the land.
This country was not run by blogs but by its representative parliament. Unfortunately because proper laws had not been enacted, some people had attempted to destroy others, but they would not succeed. This should not be taking place, certainly not with the blessing of the prime minister.
Dr Debono said that jobs were important but dignity was even more important. A job was a right. Ability without opportunity was a wasted talent. He wanted to see a society based on merit where people got what they deserved.
He hoped, Dr Debono said, that a lesson had been learnt. He had made a lot of personal sacrifice - and then people said he was doing this for himself. How was he doing this for himself when he had ended up with the police behind his door?
Everyone agreed with what he was suggesting and he was prepared to help, Dr Debono said. And he expected nothing in return.
Governments, he said, were not elected for five years but for as long as they enjoyed a majority in the House. As Mario de Marco had said, it was the policy of persuasion, not appeasement.
Moving a law on party funding was certainly not about appeasing him. It was about saving the country from embarrassment.
'RESPONSIBILITY HAS BEEN SHOULDERED'
The country belonged to everyone and he ready to continue to serve the country if the government was prepared to embark on a process of constitutional and institutional reform.
He stressed that accountability came first. Now that responsibility had been shouldered, he was reiterating his offer to help bring about reform.
The prime minister was doing a good job for the economy, but harder work was needed on justice and home affairs.
Dr Debono said he had personal respect for Dr Mifsud Bonnici. As far as he was concerned, he could have stayed on as minister, but not with responsibility for home affairs.
Mistakes had been made in the running of the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs and he did not regret the way he had voted, Dr Debono said. He would do the same again because he was sure he had voted for the value of truth.
In his address Dr Debono reiterated that he would support the government while also reiterating his criticism over comments by Nationalist MP Charlo Bonnici, among others.