Nationalist MP Franco Debono is standing his ground and will abstain during Friday’s no confidence motion in Transport Minister Austin Gatt, he said this evening.
Contacted after Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi this evening said that unless an amendment to Labour’s motion was presented, he expected all Nationalist MPs to vote against, Dr Debono said that the situation was inconceivable and he could not understand it.
“Shouldering responsibility should be interpreted to mean the established and accepted standards of political practice accepted in all other EU countries, especially where public funds are involved.
“We should not reinvent the wheel. It is also in the interest of the EU to monitor the situation and see how it is being handled,” he said.
Dr Gonzi had also proposed this evening, the setting up of a joint parliamentary committee to oversee the public transport reform and ensure that the system is perfected if the Labour Party accepted to postpone its motion of no confidence in Dr Gatt.
Dr Debono asked why such a parliamentary committee had not been set up when the reform was being drawn up.
He also pointed out that it was worrying that in a Parliament in 2011, a debate which was of interest to practically all the population could not be followed by the electorate on visual media.
“This is unacceptable in a European Parliament in 2011,” he said.
When speaking about the motion while closing the annual general meeting of the party's youth section, Dr Gonzi had said he wanted Labour's motion to be amended to become a positive one that was typical of the Nationalist Party, rather than a negative one that was typical of Labour.
He said that the party's executive council would be meeting again tomorrow and if there was no agreement on such an amendment, he expected all Nationalist MPs to vote against Labour's.
During the meeting, the MZPN approved a motion which acknowledged that there were shortcomings in the public transport system but it also recognised that positive changes had been made. The motion urged MPs to vote against Labour's "opportunistic" motion.
Dr Gonzi said he fully supported this motion.