The Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando saga risks taking the polish out of Lawrence Gonzi’s election victory with the political agenda still dominated by the Mistra application and Pullicino Orlando appearing like an albatross around Lawrence Gonzi’s neck.
The first days of government, rather than allowing Lawrence Gonzi to hit the ground running, look rather wobbly as the outflow of further details of the case seep through, with the risk of plunging MEPA, MTA but ultimately the government into crisis.
The facts to date show that the Nationalist MP lied publicly when stating that he did not have any knowledge or connection with the applicant and the project, and that only an informal agreement existed. Once the consent form was made public and most especially when details of the written agreement between Pullicino Orlando and the lessee of the land were publicised, it was clear that his story is a pack of lies and he has been caught lying through his teeth.
Worse still, the statement made by the MTA consultant, if and once corroborated, alleges that personal pressure by the candidate was put on MEPA, asking them to keep an eye on the application and to facilitate the process, showing convincingly his personal interest in the case and in so doing, risking criminal action being instituted by the police against him. The declaration of the MEPA auditor that the outline plan was issued illegally adds further pressure to the complexities of this whole saga.
In offering to re-open the case, the MEPA auditor could indeed be opening a can of worms and lifting the lid on the entire workings of MEPA. The whole case is getting messier by the day and risks culminating into a political crisis.
The relevant questions which need a quick answer are whether Pullicino Orlando did, as he publically stated, or did not inform his party and his party leader of his involvement in the case; and if so, when and whether they were aware of every detail prior to encouraging him to confront Alfred Sant on television.
If they were aware they clearly acted irresponsibly when sending him to the press conference while if they were not aware Pullicino Orlando clearly acted incorrectly in not informing them of the details of the case which if known could and should have led to the party withdrawing his name from on the candidates list. A pertinent question is also when the party got to know of the details of the case, if after Alfred Sant revealed the agreement on television, what action did the party take beyond the Prime Minister warning Pullicino Orlando that he could be the reason for a possible electoral defeat.
The options open to Pullicino Orlando are very limited. Even if one separates his legal from his political responsibilities, the only honourable way forward is for him to resign before plunging his party and government into crisis.
We concur that he cannot be forced to give up his seat in parliament but this is not a valid argument for him staying put, especially in view of government’s wafer-thin parliamentary majority. His position is clearly untenable since he lied and misled the people and his party; and it would appear, unless shown otherwise, that he exerted pressure on a public authority, possibly in breach of the criminal code.
All these unacceptable modes of behaviour carry political if not legal consequences which drawn to their logical conclusion, should lead to his offering to resign. The whole point goes far beyond the tarnishing of his green credentials and his countless declarations in favour of the environment; the heart of the matter is that he has become a serious embarrassment for government and the longer this saga draws on, the more precarious the position of the government and party becomes. Accordingly, it is in the interest of government that the police investigations are concluded quickly so that all persons can carry their responsibility. After all, the same Prime Minister stated that if anyone acted illegally he would be paying a heavy price.
This incident can be seen as a case study of just how politicians should not act, by talking in one way and acting in a diametrically opposed manner. Flying in the face of the European way of doing politics that we are now committed to. The elected politician has lied on more than one occasion, he has misled his party, he has hoodwinked his Prime Minister, allegedly exerted pressure on a public authourity, and swore on his children’s life that he was saying the truth, all of which have reduced his credibility and public standing to rock bottom levels.
He need not await the conclusions of the police investigation to resign; his behaviour to date is sufficient to warrant political responsibility. If however he awaits the outcome of the investigations and is found to have committed a criminal offence too, then the consequences will no longer be merely personal ones but carry long-term blemishes also on his party. Accordingly it is in both his party and the government’s interest that he resigns with immediate effect before his actions risk dragging government into a political crisis. Pullicino Orlando need only ponder on the need to place the interests of his party and the government before his own personal interests.
His moment of truth has arrived.