News | Sunday, 25 January 2009

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Gonzi pulls out of debate with Muscat and Cassola

James Debono
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi unexpectedly pulled out of a debate with Opposition leader Joseph Muscat and Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Arnold Cassola, which was to take place yesterday morning.
PL leader Joseph Muscat pulled out of the debate after being informed of the Prime Minister’s withdrawal, leaving Arnold Cassola as the only party leader in the debate, organised by the European Parliament office in Malta.
A spokesperson for the Office of the Prime Minister told MaltaToday that the Prime Minister had to pull out of the debate as he will be attending to other commitments “which cropped up towards the end of last week.”
No reference was made to the nature of these commitments.
The withdrawal of the two leaders changed the nature of the debate from one between party leaders, to one between Arnold Cassola – who will be contesting next June’s European Parliament elections – and two sitting MEPs: the PN’s Simon Busuttil and the PL’s Louis Grech.
“The debate was planned months ago and our intention was to hold a debate between the leaders of the three parties represented in the European parliament, the PES, the EPP and the Greens,” Massimo Farrugia, the EP’s public relations officer, told MaltaToday.
According to Farrugia, the three party leaders confirmed their participation and the EP office was already advertising their participation.
But in the beginning of the week, the OPM informed the organisers that Education and Culture Minister Dolores Cristina was to take Gonzi’s place in the debate.
Upon learning about Cristina’s participation, the PL informed the organisers that Labour MP Luciano Busuttil was to replace Muscat in the debate.
But on Thursday the organisers received another communication from the OPM informing them that Nationalist MEP Simon Busuttil was to take Cristina’s place in the debate. After the PN confirmed Simon Busuttil’s participation, the PL changed its representative again, this time fielding MEP Louis Grech.
The debate between the party leaders was intended as the closing event of the Europe Close to You Fair, a yearly event aimed at bringing EU institutions closer to citizens in Freedom Square.

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt

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