The statements by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando on Monday, in which he claims he informed the Nationalist Party of all the facts concerning him in the infamous Mistra case are a cause for concern. The people are left wondering whether in an act of damage limitation, the party threw its weight behind the disgraced MP in a bid to avert further disaster when revelations surrounding the MP’s declared ignorance of the Mistra development were still weak.
It was a fight against time, putting up a brave face of defiance against Labour’s mudslinging before any more damaging information could wreck the party’s chances once and for all. The PN secretary-general Joe Saliba was there at the PBS studios to stand by Pullicino Orlando when he attempted to present himself as a journalist with a temporary press card to face Alfred Sant. Pullicino Orlando was then defending himself against Labour’s accusations that he was aware of the development of a disco on a protected area in Mistra of which he was the owner.
As the events in the last week of the electoral campaign turned out, Pullicino Orlando was belied by the publication of a MEPA consent form, indicating that a third party was asking permission from him as owner to apply for a planning permit on his land; and a lease contract with the developer – the final nail in the coffin which however Labour seemed unable to fully exploit. Evidently the contract, a private agreement, only came in Labour’s hands in the last hours of the electoral race.
While Pullicino Orlando protested his innocence in the face of such glaring evidence, the MP is giving the impression now that he had informed his party of “all the facts” concerning him. What these facts were, or what the story the MP relayed to his party superiors, and more importantly to the Prime Minister, is unknown.
We are led to believe that Pullicino Orlando has misled his own party, if his version of the facts was as economical with the truth as his public declarations have been so far.
If not, then the PN ignored the political responsibility it had to withdraw Pullicino Orlando’s candidature in the face of such untruths. Indeed it went ahead, in the process enabling Pullicino Orlando to be returned to his seat in parliament from two districts, confirming the power that an official party endorsement has in the eyes of the Maltese electorate.
It would be easy to pontificate that Pullicino Orlando’s claims should worry the PN, and Lawrence Gonzi, who is now being called upon by the Labour party to declare whether he knew of the real facts surrounding the Pullicino Orlando case. The rule of dispensability in politics means that only Pullicino Orlando can be found in the wrong here, for misleading his own party leader.
And yet, the Nationalist Party has not rushed to deny the claims of the MP. As the government statement published yesterday shows, nothing will be said and done until the police investigations are finalised.
This newspaper has already commended Lawrence Gonzi on his bold decisions so far. He bit the bullet when he took the Pullicino Orlando case for investigation by the police and to the MEPA auditor, and he did not beat about the bush either when he insisted in clear terms that there would be no place for Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando in the new Cabinet, citing the fact that he himself had commissioned two separate inquiries into the case. By denying him a ministry, the Prime Minister has publicly signalled that Pullicino Orlando has lost his trust.
So far this newspaper has also called for Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando to face up to his responsibilities, and resign his seat in parliament.
But the Prime Minister still has an important decision to take, and that is if Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando still has a place in the Nationalist Party. To declare that the MP had misled the party when he claimed he informed it of the facts concerned, would mean that Pullicino Orlando’s position is surely untenable within the party.
The question is how long the PN will be able to play for time: its precarious one-seat majority means sidelining Pullicino Orlando will not be happening any time sooner as this would cost the party its own government. As things stand, Pullicino Orlando is standing up to the pressure in the most oblivious of manners.
But if the police do press charges against Pullicino Orlando, then the Prime Minister will be facing a demanding public that will surely want to know what action Lawrence Gonzi will take with the MP. That is why it is crucial for the press to keep the public informed and aware of the ongoing investigations, and to keep public debate going on Pullicino Orlando’s untenable position.