In the last few months the big question was when the country will vote?  It seems that this is the big question which, I must say, is also creating uncertainty.  This uncertainty existed already before since GonziPN created all this instability.  The only certain thing is that at some point we have to vote and it will be on a Saturday.

But apart from when the coming general election will be held, it is pertinent to note that Parliament, after the three-month holiday for summer until now did not had the chance to have at least one division, that is a vote.  The GonziPN government is doing its utmost to avoid taking a vote since evidently they are not comfortable with their supposedly majority in Parliament. 

I add that GonziPN is correct to feel discomfort.  This is so since during this legislature they lost a member of parliament who became an independent MP.  To add insult to injury an MP from their own side is openly speaking that he has lost faith in the Prime Minister and his cabinet and on a number of occasions he said that he will vote against the GonziPN government. Whether or not this will materialise we have to wait and see until we arrive there, if ever we will arrive to take another vote during this legislature.

It is obvious that the Prime Minister wants to avoid another blow just a few weeks before the general election.  For this reason Parliament has turned into a talking shop.  The agenda which is set by the majority in the House Business Committee is set in a way to avoid putting for discussion issues or legislation that in some way or another brings the Opposition to vote against.

Mentioning the Opposition, I must point out that it is acting very responsibly.  It is the opposite of what happened in 1998 when a Labour Government was passing through political turmoil which finally led to a snap election, when the then Opposition voted against a bill which in the beginning the then shadow minister for tourism has seconded in the second reading.  But then the Nationalist Party at that time saw the opportunity to vote against the government.

The current Opposition led by Joseph Muscat is acting very differently and I must also add responsibly. As always, the Labour Party is putting the interests of the country before its own interests. The Labour Party could have easily opted to vote against every bill irrespective of the subject. However our choice is to judge whether that piece of legislation or subject are going to benefit the Maltese and the country.  This is what responsible politicians do and this is how Joseph Muscat and all the Labour MPs are behaving in Parliament.

Recently we had a statement by the Prime Minister that the budget will be presented once the process of the choice and confirmation of the new Maltese European Commissioner will be over.  This means that the budget will be presented towards the beginning of December.  But the saga about when the budget will be presented started before the Dalligate erupted. 

I can imagine why the Prime Minister is not eager to present the budget for year 2013.  According to statements coming from his own side the budget will not pass the parliamentary test and as such he will be obliged to inform the President of the Republic that the government cannot exist anymore.  And since the GonziPN clan is doing whatever it takes to remain in power the game is to postpone for every reason possible the budget speech.

This attitude is very irresponsible from the person who supposedly is taking the decisions in the country’s interest first and foremost.  This lack of decision in the country’s interest risks increasing the instability and uncertainty of Malta.  Even more, we may end up starting the New Year without having an approved budget.  It is becoming quite clear that the election will be held in the first three months of next year and not this year since we are very rapidly approaching the festive season.  It is very unlikely that the election will be held in December.  So the political instability in Parliament will also co exist with that in the country in general.  This of course until Parliament is still in session because if not it will mean that officially the electoral campaign will be on.  It will be a long one even as long as three months but the target that GonziPN has put for his own interest will be met but at the expense of the country’s needs and interest.

So in the next general election whenever this will be held, the choice is clear.  On the one hand we have a clique of GonziPN led by a Prime Minister who is clung to power without putting the interest of the country first and on the other hand we have the Labour Party which turned into a movement under the leadership of Joseph Muscat which in every decision had always put the interest of the country.  Do I need to say more?

Carmelo Abela is Labour Party MP and Shadow Minister for Social Policy

Email: - [email protected]