Floriana MP Jean-Pierre Farrugia says he will not vote in primary health reform and accuses leadership of being driven by ‘conflicts of interest’
PM’s brother replies:
‘Gonzi is king, without him it’s game over’
Karl Stagno-Navarra Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has been told he could be challenged as well as lose his parliamentary majority unless he restores a “social conscience” to his government, backbencher Jean-Pierre Farrugia warned in an email sent to the whole Nationalist parliamentary group, which hasn’t met since 15 December.
The popular, three-times elected Floriana GP went as far as making it clear to Gonzi that he would vote against any bills on the upcoming primary health reform – a clear sign of upheaval in the wake of this week’s Cabinet reshuffle.
In the email, Farrugia had harsh criticism of the treatment of backbenchers who had been outspoken in their criticism of the government, and expressed support for Franco Debono’s absence during a crucial parliamentary vote last December.
In an email reply to his outburst, Michael Gonzi – brother to the prime minister – accused him of “playing God” and imparted a whimsical message: “In chess, the pawns win the battle through the strategic positioning of important pieces. But the King is always the King and if he falls, it’s game over.”
Gonzi’s message then triggered a series of replies from other MPs, in defence of Farrugia’s outburst.
Confronted by MaltaToday, Farrugia confirmed he spelt out his position to the Prime Minister “in black and white” and added that “it is not I who will bring the government down but it’s the pig headedness that seems to have taken Castille by storm.”
Farrugia severely contested the PM’s decision to promote parliamentary secretary Joe Cassar to health minister: “the results of his two years as parliamentary secretary are not good enough.”
He also claimed the new minister has “already taken the Association of Private Family Doctors’ lobby on board,” referring to the upcoming reforms in primary healthcare.
“Their (APFD) president recently told his members, on record, that they will lose their patients if health centres improve.”
Farrugia was clearly enraged about the merging of social policy with the education ministry. “This is outright madness. It confirms my thesis that social policy, once championed by Lawrence Gonzi when he was minister, has now been transformed into the Cinderella of the PN government.”
When asked if his outburst was a bitter reaction to having been left out of the new Cabinet, Farrugia said he had “absolutely no interest” in becoming health minister.
“I really don’t need any push to the frontbench, but I expect some kind of recognition for my loyal and active contribution to the party over the years, at least a nod in appreciation for my concerns and eye-opening on the social orientation currently being adopted by the PN in government,” he said.
Farrugia did say, however, that the reshuffle “was the straw that broke the camel’s back”, referring to signals that showed the PN government was straying from its Christian democratic principles over the last two years.
“Joe Cassar has been piloting a reform for the primary health sector that will spell out social upheaval, as hundreds of families are struggling to make ends meet and will certainly not afford to pay for a doctor, because access to health centres will be limited to only those in possession of a pink card,” he told MaltaToday.
Farrugia claimed the new reform would reduce accessibility to health centres in a bid to raise demand for private doctors, leading GPs to raise their fees and reduce their accessibility. “They will switch off their mobiles as their workload will increase… is it possible that government is looking at things with such short-sightedness?”
He rejected the label of ‘troublemaker’, as many of his outspoken colleagues have been branded by insider circles for speaking out. “As a GP, that my criticism of the reform is shared by the overwhelming majority of solo practitioners, does not give anyone the right to take it out on me.”
Farrugia insisted that it was now up to the Prime Minister to take notice, but added that the guidance he receives from his inner circle is driven by advisers with “conflicts of interest.”
Referring to Lawrence Gonzi’s personal assistant Edgar Galea-Curmi, he said he “has built a powerful empire built on a slogan ‘GonziPN’ that has now become distinct from the PN we all knew.”
Asked about where his own loyalties stood, Farrugia said: “I am loyal to the leader, but the situation is like someone with a fully topped-up credit card in hand, but spends it fast until he runs out of the purchasing power… the PN is totally out of sync with the people’s concerns.”
He added that the day before the Cabinet reshuffle, he stated in parliament that “loyal dissent springs from a shared concern about society. Who is ambitious and really pushing to the frontbench avoids addressing these real issues.”
ksnavarra@mediatoday.com.mt
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