Franco Debono’s vote against the government of which he forms a part and, more specifically, his nemesis Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici, is a defeat for the renegade Għaxaq village lawyer, not the former Home Affairs Minister.
By standing up with the Opposition Members of Parliament last Wednesday to censure the minister’s work over the last four years, Dr Debono has spelt his own political end, not that of Dr Mifsud Bonnici.
If there was ever any hope that he and the Nationalist Party could rebuild bridges and still work together, that hope was thrown out of the window by Dr Debono when he voted with the Labour Party. Or when the Labour Party voted with him, as someone wisely suggested soon afterwards.
I am positive that Dr Mifsud Bonnici, a man of integrity, loyalty and commitment, will emerge stronger. Public sympathy is with him. All we have to do is count the votes he will win when the next election is called.
On the other hand, there is now no chance whatsoever that the PN could forgive and forget what Dr Debono has done – if there had been such a chance after all the embarrassment he has caused to his own team in these last few years. So unless he who claims to be the biggest Nationalist becomes a star candidate in Joseph Muscat’s progressive movement, we will see the back of him.
Dr Debono’s spiteful decision to bring down the minister can be encapsulated in what he reportedly said after his vote – and I have no doubt that those who were around him heard him well. “This is what you get for badmouthing me with the Chief Justice,” is what Beppe Fenech Adami and other MPs heard him say, according to The Times.
That makes it a personal matter, not one that is connected with any alleged wrongdoing on Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s part in his role as minister, as Dr Debono has been claiming all along. When asked by the newspaper about this incident, Dr Debono first said he did not remember, and later called back to deny it. Pull the other one.
Perhaps it doesn’t stop there either. There could be other stories that might eventually be made public as to why Dr Debono has been attacking Dr Mifsud Bonnici so viciously. Time will tell.
I heard most of the debate that was going on in Parliament in the nine sittings that preceded the vote. As expected, the Labour MPs concentrated on shortcomings, while the Nationalist counterparts spoke about deeds.
But, at the end of the day, it is normal for ministers to be praised by their own colleagues and criticised by their opponents. Using this argument, motions like the one presented by Labour against Dr Mifsud Bonnici could have been filed against any minister.
In this case, however, the Labour Party realised it could score a political victory with a motion against the Home Affairs Minister, seeing the way he was (wrongfully) being lambasted by Dr Debono.
The PL had tried it in November with Transport Minister Austin Gatt, who was another of Dr Debono’s targets and it has made another attempt with Malta’s ambassador Richard Cachia Caruana, also because Dr Debono has hit out at him.
The PN is right to say that Labour’s move was opportunistic. The PL picked up on what Dr Debono was saying, its motion even going as far as listing most of the grievances the Ghaxaq MP had drawn up in his own earlier submission on the Home Affairs and Justice portfolio. It is clear that the PL was led by the nose by Dr Debono in this situation, and Dr Debono then handed the PL victory by voting against Dr Mifsud Bonnici.
All’s fair in love and war. Maybe we should add “and politics” to complete the idiom.
One thing I would like to point out is this: Dr Mifsud Bonnici spoke for three hours during the debate, and his uprightness shone throughout, as he never resorted to using colourful adjectives to defend himself against the onslaught that he was facing – unlike many of those who attacked him.
Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s resignation relieved him of the pressure he has had to face for months on end, but it also made him realise the strong support he has within his own party (and not only). The way he was welcomed during the PN’s general council meeting last Sunday was a clear indication that his service to the party and country has been appreciated.
As I see it, Dr Mifsud Bonnici’s political standing has grown exponentially in the last week, very much in the same proportion that Dr Debono’s has shrunk.
Health Minister Joe Cassar summed it up nicely on his Facebook wall on Thursday. “Good morning, Carm Mifsud Bonnici,” he wrote. “It’s true you are no longer minister… but the title is the only thing that has changed. Respect towards you has continued to grow. That you are no longer minister is a big loss for us, but the respect that the people are showing you is your victory. A position is given, but respect is earned.”
I just hope that Dr Cassar will not be the next minister Dr Debono and Labour will pick on now.
What Dr Debono will do tomorrow when a vote of confidence requested by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi is taken is anyone’s guess. He has changed his mind so often that anything he does will not be a surprise.
Whether we’ll have an early election instead of the Joseph Calleja concert with Gigi d’Alessio (poor choice from Italy this year) and Ronan Keating on 7 July or the government will live to fight another day, is in Dr Debono’s hands. He must shoulder his responsibilities and face the consequences of his actions.
If that concert does take place, I will have a broad smile on my lips when Ronan Keating sings: “You say it best when you say nothing at all”.
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