The government and the opposition this evening appeared to agree that a debate on the Opposition motion censuring Carm Mifsud Bonnici over his running of the Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs will start being debated on May 23.
The issue was hotly discussed at a meeting of the House Business Committee this evening. A final decision will be taken on Wednesday at another meeting of the House Business Committee which will discuss when the debate will end. Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg has already promised that the debate will not stretch beyond May 31.
Earlier, there were sharp exchanges when the government proposed that the debate on the justice motion would start on June 4. The Opposition and Nationalist MP Franco Debono disagreed and called for the debate to be held immediately.
The government also proposed that the debate on an Opposition motion on Richard Cachia Caruana would be held soon after a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, where Mr Cachia Caruana could reply to questions. The Foreign Affairs Committee debate was tentatively set for May 14 and 15, to be followed by a vote in the House on May 16.
The suggestions were made during a meeting of the House Business Committee.
When the sitting started, Leader of the House Carm Mifsud Bonnici explained that the government’s plan was that the House would, this Wednesday continue its debate on the Budget Measures Bill.
On Monday and Tuesday the House would discuss the Special Purpose Vehicle for the funding of the City Gate project. On the morning of Wednesday May 9 the House would conclude those two debates and vote.
Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said the government was prepared to bring up the debates on the pending Opposition motions after May 9. He was proposing that the debate on the Opposition motion on Justice and Home Afairs would start on June 4. The two sides could discuss how that debate was scheduled.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the pending Opposition motion on Richard Cachia Caruana could be debated after a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Committee, when Mr Cachia Caruana could reply to questions.
Opposition whip Joe Mizzi said the Opposition wanted agreement on the schedule of the debates and when the voting would take place.
He noted that the motion on justice and home affairs had been pending since December.
Mr Mizzi said he disagreed with the June 4 date.
CRITICISM BY FRANCO DEBONO
Franco Debono intervening, asked why the government had delayed so much, reducing Parliament to a talking shop in the meantime.
Furthermore, the House was in a surreal situation where the Leader of the House who was facing a censure motion as Minister of Home Affairs, still decided on the agenda and was doing his best to block it. This did not do the dignity of the House any good.
Dr Debono said that the government was trying to calm matters and then it tried to 'shock' people. But he was not impressed.
Among pending important business was his own Bill on party funding and spending by election candidates. After such waste of time, would the country go for election without the matter having been settled?
Dr Debono asked why the government was proposing a June 4 date. The reason, he said, was obvious as the prime minister was always giving in to the ministers who drove him up the alley. Furthermore, if the debate started on June 4, when would it end? The government should not try to deceive. Malta was already in a camouflaged electoral campaign and there was little time left.
Foreign Minister Tonio Borg said he was proposing agreement on a schedule for the June 4 debate. The schedule should be reasonable. This would not be a never ending debate, although all those who wished to speak should be allowed to do so.
As for reform of standing orders, a detailed report had been prepared by former President Ugo Mifsud Bonnici but the Opposition had not reacted to it.
The motion on justice should be debated immediately and further foot dragging was unacceptable in a democracy, Dr Debono said.
Anglu Farrugia, deputy leader of the opposition, said June 4 was too far away and the Opposition wanted a date that was closer. Clearly, there was a majority in the House which wanted immediate debate.
Mr Mizzi said the Opposition was not saying that the debates on the two bills should be held before May 9, but as soon as possible. What was wrong with May 10?
Dr Borg said both motions would be debated and concluded within a reasonable time, as long as all MPs who wished to speak were allowed to do so.
Dr Borg said there was other urgent business regarding the fiscal compact treaty and the European Stability Mechanism.
Mr Mizzi said the Opposition was prepared for extra sittings, morning and evening Mondays to Fridays. A majority of the members of the House wanted immediate debate, and their will should be respected.
Dr Debono said the government found it difficult to reach agreement with some of its own MPs, let alone the Opposition. He only needed to speak for some 10 minutes in these debates, he said. But people should remember that this parliament had not taken a division vote for three weeks and was on break for a month. Dr Borg should explain with what logic which did not insult the people, could one justify the urgency of the Budget Measures Bill which was delayed for months with the PN only interested in kitchen meetings. The minister was whining about pending business, but why had he not moved that business?
How could the government justify the fact that the country was heading for an election without a modern bill to regulate party funding and spending by candidates?
He first heard of the June 4 date on the media because parliament was now run through blogs. This was a problem of the government's doing and it should be the one to solve it after having delayed so much.
Dr Borg said he had no difficulty in finding time to discuss a law on party funding. This was a law which, in some aspects, would require a Constitutional amendment that needed the backing of two-thirds of the House.
Dr Debono said the government and the opposition could seek agreement. His own position was clear and parliament did not have any time to waste. If parliament, according to Dr Borg, had so much to do, why did it take a four-week Easter break?
He was of the view that the censure motion against Dr Carm Mifsud Bonnici should be debated immediately, before the vote on the Budget Measures Bill. He hoped the government would serve the whole legislature, but it should act wisely. The prime minister needed to wake up to the fact that in the confidence vote, an MP had abstained. He could not continue to act as if nothing had happened. Logic dictated that rather than bulldozing in the Budget Measures Bill, the government should debate the justice motion immediately.
Mr Speaker Michael Frendo said he was proposing May 23 as a compromise date for the debate on the justice motion.
Dr Anglu Farrugia said the declarations by Dr Debono showed how the majority of the House should be respected. The majority wanted immediate debate on the justice motion. The June 4 date proposed by the government did not make sense and showed that the government did not know what was happening.
The meeting was suspended for consultations.
When the sitting resumed, Dr Borg said the government was prepared to agree on the justice and home affairs debate starting on May 23 and ending by the end of the month.
Joe Mizzi said the debate could end sooner.
Foreign Minister Borg said the maximum was the end of the month.
Speaker Frendo said it was important for democracy that agreement was reached.
Mr Mizzi said such debates usually only took two sittings.
Dr Borg said he was saying that the debate could not exceed May 30.
Franco Debono, sounding conciliatory, noted that Dr Borg was setting a maximum and the vote could be taken earlier.
Anglu Farrugia said the opposition wanted the actual vote on May 23.
PN whip David Agius said the practice was for parliamentary groups to meet to decide how many MPs would take part in the debate and therefore how much time was needed.
Speaker Frendo said that since there was agreement on when the debate would start, he was suggesting another meeting of the House Business Committee on Wednesday to discuss when the debate would end.
His suggestion was agreed by both sides. They also reached tentative agreement that the Foreign Affairs Committee would question Mr Cachia Caruana on May 14 and 15 and a vote on that motion would be taken on May 16.
Mr Mizzi said at the end of the meeting that no agreement would be considered as having been reached until agreement was reached on when the debates would end.