In my prayers, I have always asked my Patron Saint of Żebbuġ, St. Philip, to intervene on my behalf for the salvation of my soul.

That I find myself involving him in politics through this article, is very unusual, but the story about the hospital bearing his namesake shot to instant stardom over the weekend, thanks to another blow to democracy, courtesy of the Prime Minister.

Unashamedly, he now intends to shun Parliament and go ahead with the St Philip’s Hospital lease agreement – to the tune of millions of public money in rent – on the pretext that he need not consult the House of Representatives. Now everybody knows that the real reason for this unexpected turn of events, is the fact that he knows that he no longer enjoys a majority in Parliament, especially on this issue. He is just like a bad loser trying to bend the rules of the game.

I do not know what is happening to the man lately, not St Philip of course, but indeed Lawrence Gonzi. Earlier in his political life he was a correct man, respectful of democracy and Parliament, towards which he acted with good offices as the Speaker. As Prime Minister, he has resorted to doing the opposite, striving to detour parliamentary democracy whenever he suspects that he would either be unable to pass legislation, or whenever administrative acts are imperiled by parliamentary motions.

In essence, he is making a mockery of democracy and reducing his own government and party to media of authoritarianism. I had my own serious reservations about the Labour Party’s attitude to democracy in the eighties, but if I had to be nationalist in these times I would certainly be facing the same predicament. As far as democratic values are concerned, this is not the nationalist party I know. Will the upright Dr Tonio Borg speak up in defence of parliament or will he allow his Prime Minister to belittle his democratic credentials?

This legislature has been peppered with instances in which Government sought to avoid parliamentary scrutiny just to survive. But we are now about to experience a far more dangerous episode in this legislature’s life as Lawrence Gonzi is determined to bypass parliament not only to survive - but rather to impose authority and exercise unfettered power. And he will be using our money to do it.

Addressing the problem of shortage of beds at Mater Dei is hardly the issue. Dr Gonzi is merely using patients as scapegoats for his politics of convenience. How can he speak of patients’ rights when barely four years ago on the eve of the election he cut the ribbon at Mater Dei, boasting about state of the art health services?

Now that we are right on the doorstep of another election we have to reckon that the tremendous investment in health secured before the last election needs to be propped up by a smaller hospital that has not opened its doors since Mater Dei opened its own!

There is obviously a wider picture that this government is trying to blur to the public eye, albeit unsuccessfully. Dr Gonzi may try to bulldoze his authority and sign the deal but there is one tool of democracy he will never be able to avoid - accountability.

Dr Gulia is the Opposition’s Main Spokesman for Tourism and Air Malta