Surprise, surprise, I read that on a ‘chat show’ that supports the PN on TVM, our national station, Labour MP Adrian Vassallo attacked his leader Joseph Muscat accusing him of behaviour akin to “communism or dictatorship”. Excerpts were also aired on TVM’s news on Friday evening. What is usually picked on by satirical programmes abroad makes news here.
On the one hand, we have Franco Debono, PN, who constantly attacks his own leader egged on by the Opposition, and conveniently Mr Vassallo has now supplied ammunition for the other side.
Debono’s latest dig was calling the Prime Minister “a self-appointed technocrat who runs everything”. I am not sure what he meant by “a self-appointed technocrat”, but aren’t prime ministers meant to do just that? Run things that is.
He further claimed, “That is why politicians are losing respect because this technocrat and his friends from St Edwards do what they want.” The last gibe was obviously directed at Richard Cachia Caruana, since, as far as I know, he is the only one in Gonzi’s entourage that is an old Edwardian.
As I have said before, it had been good to see Debono upsetting the apple cart. He started off well by pointing out real deficiencies in the country’s administration and we do have a cliquish, arrogant and complacent government that certainly needed a kick up the backside.
Unfortunately, his initial mature critique soon developed into childish bragging and pique. It is such a shame that the people who do have the balls to speak out then slip up and trip on their egos.
As to Mr Vassallo, he said that his anti divorce stance (which, frankly in its own way, I found dictatorial) had provoked “communist”, or at least dictatorial” behaviour from his leader. He also attacked the PL parliamentary group as simply a rubber stamp to what Mr Muscat wants.
My column of 8 January had the heading “Hell has no fury not only when women are spurned”. That time it was directed at Franco Debono, who had not been given the Justice portfolio he had worked so hard for. But it can just as well be applied today to Adrian Vassallo.
While admitting that his dissatisfaction started when the previous Labour Alfred Sant did not appoint him to a party committee discussing drugs policy, he complains that Joseph Muscat “does not even look at me in Parliament” and has not spoken to him since receiving his (Dr Vassallo’s) letter in March stating he would not seek re-election.
I must admit that, particularly as a woman, Vassallo’s fundamentalist views, as reinforced by his quote that he would rather live in Iran than here, scare me. Considering his way of thinking, it is not surprising that he was not the ideal choice of committee member on drug policy.
As for his politics, in America, for example, he would more likely be a far right Republican rather than a Democrat. Although I doubt that even an American far right Republican would ever state he would rather live in Iran than in his own country.
However, both main parties here, because of our Catholicism, are not that different as to right wing views on family and morality. For example, there were politicians on both sides that were against divorce. But that was where the Opposition appeared to be making changes.
Whereas the Prime Minister and most of the Cabinet were against divorce, most if not all of the Opposition’s hierarchy were for it. Now although other Labour MPs who were against divorce finally toed their party line (ostensibly, since the referendum vote was for divorce), Mr Vassallo would not budge. He claimed he was representing his constituents who did not want divorce introduced.
Now I had raised the question on whether MPs are in Parliament to represent their constituents wishes or their party’s, before now. I feel that they should represent the people who elected them. But here lies the rub. While there are still people who vote for anyone as long as they represent the party of their choice then MPs shall vote with their party regardless.
Back to Vassallo’s gripes, he said he was completely sidelined by the party. He was not invited to its TV programmes and complained of a campaign against him as soon as he declared his opposition to divorce. The only time he was invited to a PL television programme, he said he was booed by a hall full of Labourites who applauded Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, in what he claimed was a stage managed event.
Isn’t it extraordinary that people only see the stage management side of partisan TV stations when they are not part of it? It was interesting to read that programme producers and presenters at the PL TV station, ONE, are being sacked and are being welcomed by PBS’ TVM.
This raises various questions. Does this mean our national station will be giving viewers more balanced programmes? Or yet another partisan view? Will those producer/presenters now have an axe to grind? Is Jason Micallef the head of ONE upsetting his own apple cart? Maybe Franco Debono will now be offered a programme on ONE and Adrian Vassallo one on Net TV.
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