Signs of PN backbencher unrest reappear after Justyne Caruana ruse
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Signs of unrest have re-emerged on the PN parliamentary backbench in the wake of last Thursday’s controversial vote, with some MPs expressing discomfort over claims that Labour MP Justyne Caruana mistakenly voted against the Opposition’s motion.
“There is an air of discomfort and incredulity at the way things have developed,” one MP told MaltaToday. However, the MP stopped short of stating that the ruse was a deliberate face-saver by senior ministers, after parliamentary secretary Mario Galea visibly and audibly voted in favour of the PL’s motion.
MPs Jesmond Mugliett, Frans Agius, Robert Arrigo, Jean-Pierre Farrugia and Karl Gouder have all stated that they didn’t hear Justyne Caruana’s vote. Whip David Agius also said that he did not hear Caruana’s vote, but stressed: “I am four-square behind the Prime Minister’s claim that Caruana voted against the motion.”
No Nationalist backbencher has so far passed a public judgement over Speaker Michael Frendo’s decision to take note of the doubt raised by Deputy PM Tonio Borg’s on Justyne Caruana, and on his subsequent controversial rulings.
But the Speaker raised eyebrows by deciding not to consult with the notes of the Clerk of the House, which recorded nothing irregular in Justyne Caruana’s vote. Some government MPs have also asked internally why the Speaker did not proceed with stating the result of the initial vote.
While MPs have accepted the fact that Mario Galea’s vote was a genuine mistake, some suspected an alleged ‘rehearsed’ strategy by some senior ministers, who pre-empted the possibility of a flaw by an MP during the vote.
“What is worrying is the fact that this strategy could have been put into practice at the expense of democracy,” another MP said, adding that repeated talk of doubt had only sowed further doubts among many other MPs.
Some parliamentarians on the government side have asked if it was a coincidence that Minister Austin Gatt and Chris Said – incidentally both Gozitans – are the most vociferous in the Justyne Caruana issue. But some also question why former minister Louis Deguara has backed their positions.
According to MPs, the situation inside the PN parliamentary group is quite volatile. Many privately claim that they had no option but to toe the party line and vote in favour of the motion, even though they were highly critical of the Delimara power station extension project, and concerned at the Auditor General’s findings.
Others however state that there has been a ‘re-grouping’ on Sunday following the vile attack on Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi’s mother’s grave at the Addolorata cemetery.
But as tensions continue to run high between both sides of the political divide, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday expressed disappointment that PL MP Carmelo Abela resigned from his post as Deputy Speaker, though he would “not rush” into nominating a successor.
The Prime Minister sought to diffuse the tensions and hailed Carmelo Abela as a “hard worker, who worked honestly and independently” as deputy speaker and augured that he could overcome the current controversy and stay in his post.
He criticised the Opposition’s attitude in parliament, particularly on Monday, when a seven-hour sitting didn’t go beyond the approval of the minutes of the previous sitting.
The Prime Minister regretted how Parliamentary Secretary Mario Galea and Labour MP Justyne Caruana had become involved in this controversy, but said that the country “now had to move on and matters should not be blown out of proportion.”
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