Gianluca Bezzina denies veiled reference against civil unions in PN speech

Singer and doctor Gianluca Bezzina has vehemently denied inserting a veiled criticism against civil unions in his speech at the Nationalist Party’s general council on Sunday.

“I didn’t mention civil unions, a right that minorities deserve, in my speech,” Bezzina wrote on his Facebook page. “I didn’t put everyone into the same Christian basket either. Unfortunately, many people confuse the word ‘moral’ with ‘religion’, or assume that a person who accepts a party's invitation to share his opinions must be displaying his political colours.”

In his speech, Malta’s former Eurovision representative warned that “morals which have been enshrined in everyday life are being redefined and reinvented, while countries across the world are legislating in favour of these ‘rights’ to get more votes”.

The singing doctor urged political parties to do what was right, even if this meant losing votes. He said that it is very simple for a government to fast-track legislation in favour of controversial issues, taking abortion as an example.

“The Opposition should safeguard morals and should not seek to increase its votes at the expense of morals, even if it means spending another five years in opposition,” he said.

However, Bezzina’s speech was hit with a barrage of criticism, with many people arguing on social media that Bezzina’s words were a veiled denouncement of civil unions.

“You don’t need to be a Catholic or a conservative to embrace proper values,” Bezzina wrote on Facebook. “I think that the truly conservative mindset of many people is reflected in their insistence to look at people narrow-mindedly as ‘Labourite’, ‘Nationalist’, ‘atheist’, ‘Christian’, ‘opportunist’, ‘fanatic’, ‘homosexual’, ‘heterosexual’ etcetera. We all know that humanity is more complex than that." 

Bezzina said that his speech simply provided neutral advice to any political party in Opposition, not necessarily to Maltese parties, to keep their principles sound and not to sacrifice them for the sake of votes, even if it the cost was spending five more years in Opposition.

“The words ‘principle’ and ‘moral’ should never be interpreted as religious conservatism,” Bezzina wrote. “Morals should guide our respect to humanity, as manners guide our respect to one another.”

“I have no interest in getting involved in politics because I love my work too much. My speech should have served as subtle advice to all politicians from both parties to become more morally sound, rather than getting dragged along with the rest of the world.”