Nationalist MPs who voted with the opposition may expect the party to take further action against them, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi suggested yesterday.

Dr Gonzi’s 59th birthday did not prevent him from participating in the customary Sunday political activity as he took to answering questions sent through the party’s mychoice.pn website.

Some questions inevitably focused on the three MPs who broke ranks with the party in recent votes. Franco Debono had voted for a motion calling for the resignation of Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici last May, while last month, a motion which led to Malta’s EU ambassador Richard Cachia Caruana’s resignation passed after Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando backed the motion and Jesmond Mugliett abstained from voting.

The prime minister said that the party was trying to solve its internal problems internally, adding that it had been clear when its executive approved a statement condemning the MPs for their actions and stated that they must face consequences for their actions. The MPs could not expect to do what they had done and get away scot-free, he argued.

But he also noted that the issue could not end here, and said that the party would continue its internal exercise and take all necessary decisions in this regard.

Dr Gonzi took care to praise Mr Cachia Caruana for his role in gaining the European Commission’s approval for Air Malta’s restructuring plan.

He noted that this approval was a great achievement and far from a foregone conclusion, stating that a Hungarian airline in a similar situation failed to secure an approval and had to shut down. The Commission had ordered the airline in question, Malév, to repay roughly €130m of state aid it had received, a decision which sealed its fate.

The prime minister pointed out that the approval occurred despite the Labour Party’s attempts to hinder the process, including MEPs asking questions to the Commission which had fostered doubts about the outcome of the restructuring plan.

He described the motion against Mr Cachia Caruana as a frame-up, and said that such a motion should not have been presented in any circumstance. He also similarly condemned the motion against Dr Mifsud Bonnici.

Dr Gonzi also commented on the suspicious death of a Malian man in a Detention Services van, stating that he was deeply worried by the incident and that he was insisting on a thorough investigation. He condemned the racist comments which were being made each time a situation concerning immigrants occurred.

The prime minister said that while Malta would continue to insist on further support from the EU and the US over asylum seekers and immigrants, everyone deserved protection and dignity. When asked about how he intended to deal with further boatloads of immigrants, he said that when the authorities are alerted of persons in distress out at sea, they are not concerned with the criticism that will ensue but with rescuing them, as is their duty.

Speaking on last week’s European Council meeting, Dr Gonzi pointed out that the lengthy discussions focused on issues of very high importance which also affect Malta. He stated that on a number of occasions, he had to stand up to the other EU leaders on pensions and on the cost-of-living adjustment, insisting that he would reject the proposed agreement as it stood, resulting in its amendment.

He said that he hoped that what had been agreed upon would help put financial markets at ease.

Dr Gonzi noted that Malta’s retirement age was last raised five years ago, and that the government disagreed with the European Commission’s assertion that it should be raised further. He said that even when the Commission’s own methodology is used – which links the retirement age to life expectancy – the retirement age will not need to be reviewed until at least 2029.

The prime minister focused on the need to ensure people assumed responsibility when asked on cohabitation law, stating that as things stand, people can simply leave their partners at any time even if they have lived together for years and had children. He said that this situation should no longer exist, and that the proposed law would regulate such situations and create obligations for the people involved.

During the event, Dr Gonzi also criticised the Labour Party and its leader, Joseph Muscat, on a number of occasions.

He said that Labour was promising the impossible, warning that such promises could not materialise regardless of their appeal. In contrast, he said, the government acted prudently at a time of crisis, and Malta did not require a bailout as a result.

Dr Gonzi questioned how a Labour government would lower utility rates in the face of rising oil prices, asking whether this would be done by imitating Greece and concealing mounting financial concerns.

He pointed out that Dr Muscat had expressed his wish to be Malta’s youngest prime minister, but whether he was capable of governing the country was a more pressing concern.