The state has a duty to legislate to safeguard the rights and obligations of cohabiting partners, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said yesterday in an interview with journalist Saviour Balzan on PBS’s Reporter.
The promise was originally made by the PN before the 1998 election, but never kept. “This issue cannot be postponed any more. This reality is exposing the weaker partner in a relationship to serious abuse. We have a duty to legislate.”
But Gonzi would not commit himself to legislate in this legislature. “We will surely legislate on this matter in the next legislature.”
While reiterating his opposition to gay marriages, Gonzi said he would legislate to safeguard gay partners in a relationship. “Independently of whether we are dealing with gay partners or two brothers, two friends or two cousins, we have to regulate any relationship in which one party is responsible for the other party.”
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday kept his options wide open on holding a general election, but he gave a clear indication that the election will take place in six months’ time.
“I have an option; either to call an election tomorrow or in six months’ time,” replied Gonzi when asked whether he intends to end the uncertainty created by speculation on the date of the next election.
The Prime Minister still has a full nine months to call an election, but by restricting his options to six months, Gonzi has given a clear hint that the election will not be held after March.
The only certainty given by the Prime Minister is that he is giving a lot of weight to the next budget. “What is sure is that before the election we have still to prepare a budget that will start implementing our vision for 2015.”
One of the priorities of a future Nationalist government would be the rebuilding of the opera house in Valletta. Gonzi revealed that the government has given up on private sector investment for the project and the only way forward is to spend Lm15 million from the public coffers.
He expressed regret at “wasting two whole years to find a formula to enable private funding for this project.” “At the end of it all I learned one big lesson. If one were to depend on private funding this project will never take place.”
According to the Prime Minister, if the project were to be financed by the private sector, the commercial element would be so extensive that it would ruin the sense of the whole project. “The truth is that the theatre has to be rebuilt from public funds and cannot be financed through real estate.”
Gonzi promised that the project would be realised during his second term in office.
In the wake of the controversy on political party finances, the Prime Minister also expressed himself in favour of state funding for political parties. But rather than seeing this as a safeguard against inappropriate relations between businessmen and politicians, Gonzi expressed his concern that in the absence of state funding political parties are draining civil society and NGOs from funds.
“I agree with state funding because political parties are strangling civil society by draining money which could go to other positive initiatives.”
The Prime Minister also expressed his concern that political parties have grown into commercial entities in their own right. “I am worried that political parties have grown so much in their organisation that they have introduced their own commercial initiatives. TV stations and radios are machines which need considerable financing.”
When asked whether he regretted taking any decision since he became Prime Minister, Gonzi replied by congratulating himself for taking the decision to assume the post of Finance Minister.
Asked about whether officials in authorities where corruption occurs should resign as happens in other countries, without naming anyone the Prime Minister insisted that there were cases where officials who had to resign. “There are situations which do not merit a resignation, especially situations where officials have taken action to eliminate abuse… But there were situations where someone had to resign.”
In an indication of the style of campaigning, Lawrence Gonzi subtly attacked Alfred Sant for serving as opposition leader for the past 15 years. Asked why voters should once again vote for the PN after 20 years in office, Gonzi gave Sant as the main reason for voting him again in office. “Because four years ago someone told us that we should become a Switzerland in the Mediterranean while we said we should be in Europe. This was not twenty years ago.”
He also turned the argument on Labour leader Alfred Sant. “The issue is not how long we have been in government. If that was the issue I can easily turn the tables. I have led the party for three years. Alfred Sant has led his party for 15 years and it is about time that he vacates his place. But I do not think this is the way to convince voters. Who has the best policies should win.”

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt