In the newspaper L-Orizzont dated Friday 16 January I had written: “To tell you the truth, I find it very difficult to memorise a telephone number, but as for that of my friend Joe Mizzi, the Opposition Whip, I know it very well. Together we decide how, when and who is to speak in parliament. I must say that we have a good working relationship and our work can be seen and felt by our colleagues the members of the House.”

Barely 15 days have passed. This working relationship seems to have ended and for the opposition the most important thing has become the standing orders as opposed to the agreement we have followed since May 2008 when the Maltese parliament opened its doors for the eleventh legislature since our country’s independence. These standing orders suddenly took paramount importance over other agreements between the government and the opposition including the decisions taken by the Committee for the Work of the House of Representatives.

A tale of two motions

During the sitting of Monday 26 January, the Opposition Whip proposed that the House should follow standing order number 8 and adjourn parliament for Thursday when we were to discuss the motion the opposition had proposed the previous Saturday. This was to change parliamentary practices followed since the 1970s.

The speaker gave a ruling which said that the work for the House of Representatives had to follow the decisions taken by the Committee for the Work of the House of Representatives and so parliament was adjourned for the following day – Tuesday 27 January. It is for this reason that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi put forward a motion of procedure about the work of the House that proposes, among other things, that the sittings are to be held on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and any vote with a division was to be taken only on Wednesday morning.

‘The Government can forget once and for all any agreement on pairing’

The work of the ministers and all the members of the House on the government’s side has increased. Due to Malta’s entry into the European Union they have to travel so that our country is represented in committees and other discussions on a European level. These bodies take decisions about policies which affect the Union and so our country needs to be represented with the rest of the other members of the European Union so as to make our voice heard. Decisions will still be taken with or without our presence. Lack of an official agreement on pairing by the opposition is hindering the smooth running of the local and international work that needs to be done.

This was very clear in the words of the Labour Leader during the general conference held a few days ago. Dr Muscat explicitly said that the government can forget, once and for all, any agreement on pairing. This continues to highlight the importance of the motion put forward by the Prime Minister.

From a politically mature government to a hindering opposition...

Fifteen days ago as well, the whole country was discussing the level of political maturity we had reached as manifested by the decision taken by our Prime Minister to nominate George Abela to be our next President of the Republic.

Today, 15 days later, we are all discussing the ways and means to stop the opposition from hindering further the work of the government. This government has been elected to govern the country with the role of the opposition being that of scrutinising its work to provide alternatives and possible improvements and not that of trying to backstab the government.

Unfortunately, yet again, we have seen that what was unveiled as a new political season is nothing new at all. The mentality is still the same. The people change but the style always remains the same.

... back to political maturity?

May I reaffirm that this government is as willing as ever to continue with its work on behalf of and for the benefit of its people. Therefore, the work of our parliament with the healthy discussions that take place are very important on a House level as well as at Committee level. It is in the interest of our country that the motion by the Prime Minister had to be put forward.

I hope that our parliamentary work returns to normal and so I can revert to saying that as Whips we have a very good working relationship in the interest of a democratic institution that is our Parliament and for the good of our country.

David Agius is the government whip