Gonzi slams Labour for lack of divorce stand

During the customary Sunday morning political event, the Nationalist Party exploited the fact that the Labour Party has yet to take an official stand on whether Malta should see the introduction of divorce legislation or not.

At the same time, the party played up how it has taken a firm stance against divorce just yesterday, following the approval of" a motion to that effect, emphasising that it is “a party of conviction” and that divorce would not deliver solutions to Maltese families.

Speaking during the event, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi tied far-ranging achievements in tourism, employment, and industry with the work government was doing to, ultimately, strengthen the family.

“When one boils down these issues, it means we are talking about the families who are working in the economy each day, and even those pensioners who are receiving their pensions,” Gonzi said. “All this work is done to safeguard the family, but if we truly want to safeguard the family, I won’t bring divorce to Malta.”

“This is how I reason, and how the PN reasons and how the motion approved,” Gonzi emphasised. Gonzi also hit out at the local media coverage of the issue, claiming that “local journalism wants to grasp sensationalism” while ignoring the way the issue is truly about safeguarding something that is precious to society.

Gonzi however did not refer to the inherently contradictory stance he adopted where he expressed a hope that the population would be able to voice its opinion on the introduction of divorce while at the same time maintain that he would be voting against the divorce bill in parliament - thus hindering the referendum from taking place.

He reiterated that the PN did not have any choice in that the referendum is conditional on the bill being approved in parliament first, and reiterated his pledge to give government MPs a free vote. He also pledged that government would present a motion for the introduction of a clause that would bind the law to a referendum approving it.

“Let everyone enjoy the liberty to express their position,” Gonzi said, referring to the divorce debate. He however claimed that those speaking out against divorce find themselves under siege. “Why is it that anyone who speaks against divorce must find themselves attacked and accused of being tied to the church,” he asked.

“It is about values,” he maintained, “and my values as a politician are to work hard from morning to evening to keep families strong.” Gonzi also hit out at the Labour party for not having adopted a position on the divorce issue, claiming that they are afraid of coming to grips with the sensitive issue.

The addresses were peppered with repeated references to Sant’s short-lived Labour ’96 – ’98 administration, as both Gonzi and other PN speakers drew parallels between that administration’s policies and the way the Labour Party is failing to take a stand on divorce.

Gonzi reminded how the 1996 Labour election which had divorce on its mandate lost government, claming that this was the extent to which the population did not desire that policy.

Gonzi also affirmed the importance of developing the educational sector. “We cannot succeed as a country and adapt to a changing and technologically developing world unless we start educating and preparing children from very young ages,” he said.

He said that while the government was working hard “in the field “towards the prosperity of the country, there were those who were doing nothing or even fomenting dissatisfaction while “sitting comfortably on the wall.”

“Who would I put my trust in, the farmer, or those who sit and criticise,” Gonzi asked an increasingly emotionally charged audience. Once again, he hit out at the Labour party for being unwilling to get its hands dirty to take a stand.

Also speaking during the event, PN General Secretary Paul Borg Olivier said the approved PN motion on divorce enshrines three values above all. The first he said dealt with the value of the family. “Divorce provides no solutions to families,” he said, while recognising that certain families are in trouble and that the “government is confident that it will be bale to provide solutions in this regard.”

He maintained that a political party is made of people with different opinions. “The motion was a sign of how the party is convinced of the divergence of opinions within the party. It is this diversity that brings about the best for the country and results in the best policy.”

Saying that yesterday’s vote shows how the PN is a party of conviction, Borg Olivier hit out at the Labour party for not having adopted a position, claiming its stand as “one of convenience and not one of conviction.”

The biggest challenge a party can have is to address those issues that emerge from one day to the next without postponing them, Borg Olivier  said, which is what, he claimed, the PL is doing on the divorce issue. “One needs to be able to take the bull by the horns and make a decision.”

“We know that the decision we took won’t be appreciated by everyone,” Borg Olivier said, pointing out that the motion features a specific clause welcoming all those with divergent stand points and opinions.

He hit out at the Pro-divorce movement’s reaction describing the motion as a “dirty tactic”, defending the way the government was “respecting” parliamentary procedure when it makes a divorce referendum conditional on the bill being approved in parliament.

As far as Muscat is concerned, Borg Olivier claimed, “The end justifies the means.”

Nationalist MP Karl Gouder, who has spoken in favour of divorce, said the debate within the PN executive made him proud to be Nationalist, and also hit out at the PL for not taking a stand on the divorce issue. He also said that it was the PN which had a history of hearing the views of the people.

Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism Dr Mario de Marco spoke of Malta’s tourism performance, and that while the recession seems to be over, Malta’s future still warrants caution.

He reiterated that in the light of the European Union’s widespread financial troubles, on top of the on-going uncertainty in North Africa, can create troubles in tourism. “This is a reality that we cannot ignore.”

He also said that the country must recognise the challenges being faced by Air Malta, and reiterated that “we are not doing this restructuring to be liked but because we think that we need a viable national airline carrier,” not only for this year or next year, but on a long-term scope.

He however expressed confidence that Malta will be able to keep on achieving “record years” in tourism.