NEWS | Wednesday, 14 January 2009

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Simon Busuttil and George Vella also disagree with George Abela nomination

Lawrence Gonzi faced open dissent from his controversial backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, and his lead Member of the European Parliament, Simon Busuttil, over his decision to nominate George Abela for the presidency.
They join the ranks of Alfred Sant and George Vella, Labour’s former leader and deputy leader respectively, who expressed disagreement last Monday during Labour’s parliamentary group meeting.
This newspaper can confirm that Pullicino Orlando and Busuttil expressed open disagreement on Monday’s meeting of the parliamentary group with Gonzi, when the prime minister announced his decision to his Cabinet and MPs.
Sources told MaltaToday that reservations on Abela’s nomination were expressed during this meeting.
It was pointed out that Muscat had been angling for a President of the Republic who could “unite the country” since the Labour leadership election.
Members of the Cabinet and MPs complained with the prime minister that they got to know of the decision from the Sunday newspapers.
Gonzi in fact informed Joseph Muscat in writing back on 29 December, 2008; while Muscat replied to his letter last Friday, 9 January, two days before the national press reported that the two leaders had agreed on Abela’s nomination.
It was also on Friday that a leak from the Office of the Prime Minister got reporters in a frenzy over the possible nomination of Abela. On Saturday, enquiries were already being made with George Abela, who declined to comment on his nomination.
Gonzi in fact convened ministers and MPs on Monday, after news of Abela’s nomination had made it in all the Sunday newspapers, except for the Independent and the PN organ il-mument.
It is clear Gonzi moved alone in his decision to nominate Abela, having confirmed he was not prompted by Muscat having never received a list of candidates from the Labour leader.
Nor did he discuss the choice with President Eddie Fenech Adami, whose former personal assistant Richard Cachia Caruana was hoping to be Malta’s next European Commissioner should Joe Borg be bumped up to the presidency.
Now it is uncertain whether Muscat even ever had the proverbial list of Labour nominees, after Lino Spiteri himself – touted for the presidency by party sources – stated with MaltaToday he was never informed by Muscat that he was nominating him for the presidency.
“I wasn’t informed I was on the list… but now I doubt the list existed,” Spiteri told this newspaper.
No vote was taken by the Nationalist group, unlike the secret ballot held by Labour on Monday, in which two Labour MPs voted against and 26 in favour of Abela’s nomination.
Former Labour leader Alfred Sant and former deputy leader George Vella were in fact heard voicing disagreement during the animated discussion on the nomination. Another MP abstained and five were not present for the debate.
It is yet to be seen how Sant and Vella will be voting in parliament once the motion for Abela’s nomination is presented. Abela had resigned as Labour deputy leader for party affairs in 1998 after the party decided to go for early general elections.
There is no love lost between Sant and Vella, and their former colleague in the Labour leadership. Last year, Vella shot down claims made by Abela that he had disagreed to go for early elections during the MLP executive meeting that voted whether to present the motion to the Labour general conference. The motion was in fact approved unanimously.

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