Government MPs expressed their support for Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici this morning, as the debate of a motion calling for resignation continued.
The motion originally called for the censure of Dr Mifsud Bonnici but in a ruling this morning, Speaker Michael Frendo accepting an opposition’s request to change the motion to call for the minister’s resignation.
Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said the motion was moved by an opportunistic opposition, whose spokesmen failed to say anything about the positive developments in sectors which fell under Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici’s responsibilities.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici had introduced several measures for the protection of minors, amendments to strengthen the fight against criminality and fought for illegal migration to become a European issue.
Through Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s work, Malta was now also hosting the European Asylum Support Office. Mr Pullicino referred to the assistance his ministry found from the police and Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s ministry for the country to enact suitable legislation on cruelty to animals and for the first time prison fines were being given to people found guilty of maltreating animals.
He said that the Labour Party had, for a moment, put aside physical violence, allowing this to be taken over by psychological violence which had now become their favourite tool.
He referred to claims by the Korean News agency that Dr Muscat had claimed that Korea had a right to fire a missile.
On a point or order, Dr Muscat said Mr Pullicino should clarify that he was quoting news by a Korean news agency he had already denied. He invited Mr Pullicino to make his claims in public so that he could file a libel suit against him.
Mr Pullicino said Dr Muscat was welcome to file a libel suit against him as he had already written what he was stating in Parliament.
On a point or order, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the Opposition leader did not realise he was doing the same thing when he quoted a Wikileaks cable, written by Americans, believing it over what the Maltese government said. Did the Opposition leader use two weights and two measures?
Dr Muscat said that if the PM opted to believe the north Koreans, he chose to believe the Americans.
Mr Pullicino expressed his and his wife’s solidarity with Dr Mifsud Bonnici. He said he appreciated the fact that Minister Austin Gatt’s wife was accompanying Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s wife who was attending sittings to support her husband.
Nationalist MP Michael Gonzi said that justice in Malta was working and was seen to be working. Solutions were not easy to come by in any sector and progress could only be achieved according to the available means.
But the minister had increased protection of minors in several areas, coordinated the authorities which fell under his responsibility during the crisis with Libya and piloted 16 laws, among many other achievements.
Dr Gonzi noted that throughout the debate on the minister, he had not heard any MP mention one case of corruption, collusion or political interference by the minister.
Nationalist MP Philip Mifsud said the reasons behind the motion did not justify censorship or resignation. In no way did the motion indicate that the person it was attacking had been incorrect in his behaviour in any way.
The motion was one of convenience and not of conviction, and had taken Parliament to the lowest level he could remember.
Mr Mifsud said he could not understand how people who had praised achievements in the sectors of justice and home affairs in the past were now considering voting in favour of this motion.
Labour MP Gino Cauchi said that it was time for the culture of political responsibility to be introduced in politics, as this was still non-existent in Malta.
He denied claims that the Opposition had moved the motion to attack Dr Mifsud Bonnici and his family and noted that many Opposition MPs had a good relationship with Dr Mifsud Bonnici.
When the minister accepted to become minister, he accepted to shoulder political responsibility. And although many shortcomings were not made by the minister himself, it was the minister who was responsible.
Mr Cauchi noted that the issue of court delays was still unsolved in spite of the increase in members of the judiciary. Justice delayed was justice denied. He asked who was to shoulder political responsibility for the building and dismantling of the court extension.
On prisons, Mr Cauchi noted that while the prison population was growing, the number of warders was going down. What was keeping the government from seeing to this situation, he asked.
Nationalist MP Frans Agius described Dr Mifsud Bonnici, a fellow candidate on his district, as a loyal, hardworking gentleman.
He said that it was clear that the opposition had found an opportunity to move a motion against the minister in an opportunistic attempt to throw the Nationalist government out of power.
In spite of attempts to undermine confidence in the minister, his information and experience proved otherwise, Dr Agius said.
Sports Parliamentary Secretary Clyde Puli said the motion did not prove a precarious and unsustainable situation in the ministry or some grave shortcoming by the minister. It did not even move suggestions on the points of concern it mentioned for debate.
The motion, he said, only served to attack the integrity of a person who worked hard for the country to progress. He praised the minister’s work in all sectors he was responsible for, including, the police, justice and the prisons.
Nationalist MP Censu Galea said that although the motion was against Dr Mifsud Bonnici it could be against any minister because it was another in a series of motions of convenience moved by the opposition whenver it believed there could be a government MP who could vote with it.
This was unacceptable as Parliament should not be used as a theatre to destroy people working for the benefit of the country.
Five years ago, the Labour Opposition had used its media to lie against him and now it had done the same to his daughter.
Mr Galea said that the man being accused today should be thanked and not condemned. For he had shouldered his responsibilities in a genuine manner for the benefit of the country.
Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea said the motion was a shameful personal attack on the minister by a destructive opposition that was using parliament to destroy its political adversaries.
The opposition was using psychological violence in the same way it had used physical violence as a political tool in the past.
Mr Galea recalled tough times under Labour noting violent moments including in the House when MPs were attacked. Certain people in the Labour Party then, were still in the party now, he said.
He challenged Joseph Muscat to move a motion to censure the behaviour of certain people surrounding him and who, when the biggest atrocities by the police had taken place, were within the party and were accomplices through their participation or their silence.
He asked for guarantees that none of these people would be made ministers if Labour won the government.
Nationalist MP Frederick Azzopardi said a minister had to be effective by drawing up clear realistic aims, have the strength and stamina to follow them up using people well and moving objectives for change.
In his opinion, Minister Mifsud Bonnici passed with flying colours since he had a brilliant track record and could not be criticised.
The opposition’s motion did not have the decency to acknowledge the work being carried out by the Home Affairs Ministry, it was just another opposition tactic that was only aimed to be negative.
He mentioned progress in the Gozo Courts including in the number of cases in the civil court, which were reduced by 47 per cent. There were only 12 civil appeals pending and long-pending cases were not older than three years.
Mr Azzopardi noted that 242 new cases were introduced in the family court since 2004 - 197 cases were decided and only 76 were pending.
In the Magistrates’ Court 397 new cases were introduced, 679 were decided and 109 remained pending. This was 70 per cent less than in 2001.