The Prime Minister has been conspicuous by his absence in terms of facing media and scrutiny since the outcome of the referendum and opted for a televised address, without a media presence. Lawrence Gonzi has never shied away from the media and the cameras, not once. Yet after the referendum, the PM opted to give a short address on television. He gave very mixed messages.
On the one hand, he said the referendum was a clear cut result and that the people had spoken. On the other hand, he said the legislative process will not be easy, and that while the will of the majority needed to be respected, so does the conscience of members of parliament who feel that it would not be possible for them to approve such a law, and will therefore have to abstain or vote against it.
Come again? Let us put it all into perspective. Civil society had been crying out for the introduction of divorce for years. All the while, the government ignored the pleas and continued to ignore the big elephant in the room that had “broken marriage” written all over it. All the while, the government ignored suffering families and cohabiting families with no legal redress to the situation they were in.
Eventually, the government bowed to pressure. This happened largely because it thought a ‘No’ vote would win and that we could all get on with the way we have been doing things for years. It also happened because the Nationalist Party had committed its resources to campaigning against divorce, and it believed that its well-oiled machine could clinch the vote. In effect, the Prime Minister abdicated from responsibility to legislate and put the question to the people. The people, in turn, took this great responsibility on themselves and gave a very clear answer, despite the fear tactics, the ostracising of members of society, the nauseous and unfounded arguments and all that came with this bitterly disappointing campaign. And now the Prime Minister tells us that it will be difficult and that some MPs might vote against the Bill or abstain? How does this logic and reasoning work?
Parliament passed the buck onto the electorate. The electorate has spoken, and loudly. The Prime Minister now has the duty to ensure that this legislation is passed without delay, but at the same time in a serene and calm manner. He has spoken of fine-tuning the Bill, and with that, we agree. But what we definitely cannot accept is MPs casting a ‘No’ vote in parliament, not after the way they have behaved throughout the whole experience.
It is clear that the Prime Minister has a very hot potato in his lap and it now has to be his responsibility to ensure that the people’s will is respected. It seems that there are still some politicians who have not recognised what this vote really means. People voted across party lines and gave a message that they would not be brow beaten into casting a ‘No’ vote. All those who remained silent during the campaign gave the final answer through a ‘Yes’ vote. Any politician who is considering casting a ‘No’ vote in the parliamentary debate might as well pack up his or her bags in preparation for the national polls in two years’ time. The electorate will not vote them back into the House. It is time for the PM to assume what should have been his responsibility in the first place and ensure that the people on his benches, at least, vote in favour.