JPO challenges Tonio Borg on referendum, 'I will not accept any changes to questions'

Divorce bill promoter Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has challenged Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg to accept the request for a debate next week on Labour's motion to hold a consultative referendum on divorce.

Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has challenged deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg to accept a request for a debate next week on Labour's motion to hold a consultative referendum on divorce. "There is majority in the House that wants to discuss it next week," Pullicino Orlando said, stressing he will "not accept any changes to the proposed questions for a referendum."

A meeting of the House Business Committee that discussed Labour’s motion for a referendum on divorce ended in a standoff between government and opposition MPs on when to hold a parliamentary debate on Labour’s referendum motion.

Tonio Borg refused to budge from his stand that the government MPs needed time to discuss the motion, and would only say that the debate would be held "within a reasonable amount of time."

Opposition MPs Anglu Farrugia and Joe Mizzi, suggested that the motion be discussed next week during an all-day debate, and concluded with a vote.

Borg was categorical that the debate would not be held before the PN parliamentary group could meet and debate the issue. “No, I will not give you a date today,” he told government MPs. 

The stormy meeting included an interjection by divorce bill promoter Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando that challenged Tonio Borg to agree to holding the debate on Labour’s motion next week, as there existed a majority in the House that wanted this debate to be held.

Borg dismissed this by saying that even if three fourths of the House was in favour of the motion being discussed next week, there was no reason to rush a debate through parliament "before the referendum question is properly discussed." 

Borg said that government could not commit itself today on when a motion for the holding of a divorce referendum would be debated in Parliament, since the matter still had to be discussed by the PN parliamentary group. He insisted that the motion was only presented last Monday, and promised a fixed debate date “as soon as possible.”

In response, Anglu Farrugia maintained that given that Gonzi had “already spoken of granting a free vote” anmd expressed a hope that the debate take place as soon as next week, he had effectively given the go ahead for the motion to be debate.

Borg countered by saying that the Prime Minister “had spoken before the text of the motion was issued.”

In his own addresses, Mizzi emphasised that the PN’s parliamentary group “has had months to discuss the bill upon which the motion’s referendum question is based on. What on earth could there possibly be left to discuss?” he asked.

In more than one instance, Farrugia accused  Borg of resorting to“delaying tactics,” an accusation Borg dismissed by saying said that it was and never will be government’s intention to “delay anything,” however “government will not tolerate any imposition.”

Borg stressed that he couldn’t agree to holding a debate on Labour’s motion next week because the parliamentary group still had to meet, while three ministers needed to attend meetings abroad next week.

Mizzi challenged Borg to explain what commitments and trips abroad were so important as to take precedence over an issue that the PM had said deserved the House’s full attention, to the degree that all other issues should be dropped.

Interjecting with permission from Speaker Michael Frendo who presided the House Business Committee meeting, PN MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando also challenged Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg into agreeing to hold the debate next week.

Pullicino Orlando said: “there is a majority in the House that wants the Bill to be discussed within two weeks.” He added that the proposed question listed in the Labour motion to be put before the electorate in a referendum on divorce, related directly to the important elements of the Bill.

These elements, he said, which were that people had to be separated for four years before they could be eligible for divorce; that the marriage would have irrevocably broken down; and there were arrangements for maintenance and the care of children.

The Nationalist MP expressed his appreciation for way the discussion was held within the PN executive committee, and added that in his concluding remarks last Saturday, Prime Minister and PN leader Lawrence Gonzi said that if a referendum was held, the question had to be related to the Bill.

Pullicino Orlando said that even the Prime Minister had expressed the intent that if not this week, the debate should start next week. He stressed that the issue is now of national interest and that the people wanted this matter to be resolved.

"It's about time we move forward, a majority in the House wants the debate to be held in the coming days, and this does not mean only the PL and myself," Pullicino Orlando said.

Turning directly to Tonio Borg, who is also PN Deputy Leader, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando insisted that the divorce question was fair and said one could not have a position which was more conservative than this.

“As co-presenter of the Bill, I would not accept changes,” the PN MP warned.

At the end of the meeting, Opposition Whip Joe Mizzi said that once the government did not want to set a date, the Opposition - in line with standing orders – will now be formally requesting that the motion be debated tomorrow, which the standing orders reserved for private business.

avatar
Mark Fenech
Well done JPO. Keep your word. Your colleagues are not democratic they are just Farizej, l-aktar nies li anke Kristju Gesu ma setax għalihom, għax jgħidu ħaġa u jagħmlu oħra.
avatar
@ issa naraw but i tell you that those who been married and their wife or husband left them to go with another man or women, or they been beaten up everyday by their drunk husbands. they know what they are voting for. if this didnt happend to you then vote no in the refferendum but if you belive in christianity. and belive that this persons did nothing wrong in their life but married the wrong person after spending 5 years with him or her before getting married. and first he show a face and after getting married show another face (even they attended the kana courses). then vote yes. cause this is their civil right! and no one have the right to judge them in their lives. thats what im voting for. i know on what im voting for im voting yes for divorce. yes this people have rights and need our solidarity! or we are catholic just by word not by facts.
avatar
it looks like the beginning of the end for this government. Tonio Borg's tactics are typical of the conservative movement who want nothing more than the status quo to prevail.
avatar
"Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg refused to budge from his stand saying that the government MPs needed time to discuss the motion" Daqs kemm iddiskutew il-membri parlamentari tal-gvern fuq id-divorzju u hargu bi staqqrija finali nhar is-Sibt li ghadda. Nhar it-Tnejn li ghadda qalu milli ghidna ma hemm xejn. Issa iridu jergew jiddiskutu u jiddiskutu. Jekk ghandkom xi membri parlamentari ma tistghux issibu tarfhom ghax ma taghmlux pjacir lil poplu miskin ta' dan il-pajjiz, jew tiddecidu u zzommu kelmtkom jew sejhu elezzjoni generali forsi dan il-pajjiz jara d-dawl. Min xiex qed tibzghu, Austin Gatt mhux se jerga johrog ghal-elezzjoni. Dan l-ikbar mazra li ghandkom. Tinsiex Dr Gonzi, li l-bosk jaharquh is-sigar tieghu.
avatar
To the youngsters who know nothing of the past, this is an exact replica of PN 's attitude when it comes to social change; excuses, bickering, 'holier than thou brigades',and shifting of goal posts This is not the' post-dnub il-mejjet' Malta, its 1960's revisited. Same families, same surnames same tactics: only, that this time we have the juniours not the seniours!
avatar
This is not what I voted for. Bills going up by the minute, No TAX decrease as promised and now to add insult to injury we have these redundancy problems. At the same time I receive a letter thanking me for the work i did over the years and which also stated that I may no longer go to my place of work as I have been made redundant. You GONZIPN and TEAM on the other hand spend parliamentary time counting the hundreds of euro's weekly increases in your salaries. This is definitely too much, we long to have a PM who can easily focus on the real problems this country is facing. Something that you have forgot to do at least from the last General Elections. Yes forgot because your standard of living is way far from ours. So please take an honourable approach to all this mess and ask the voters to reconfirm you in office.
avatar
I strongly agree with surfturtle. As for PM Mr.GONZI there is only one honourable way to take. Call a General Election; obviously I know it hard for you to lose your premiership. I have no doubt that the news that you don’t have the majority behind you anymore, and yes this makes it harder. You are bound to loose and loose BIG time this time. We the middle class workers are the worst hit by your tenor as PM. I look forwards and vote against the GONZIPN team as you can no longer lead this country. Times UP!! I'm sure you will enjoy a luxury life with your family, especially after the hefty increase in your salary. I will soon be made redundant and have to look for work with half the salary I have today. This thanks to past Labour Govts and the PN Govts plus collective agreements with Unions. But I would like to make sure you understand that when I mention PN it’s definitely not GONZIPN.
avatar
Pauline Moran
Jahasra Gonz...int taf x'ghandek taghmel biex tevita dan l-ughih ta ras kollha mil MP's tieghek stess u meta l-poplu li jrid id dritt gustifikat tieghu?...Int ma tridx titnizel fl-istorja li dahhalt i divorzju f'Malta u taf ghaliex sewwa. Ghalhekk l-unika soluzzjoni li ghadhek hija li... SSEJJEH ELEZJONI GENERALI....mhemmx triq ohra ghalik!!!! Isma minni Gonz. Ghal anqas tkun tkun miftakar bhala ragel li waqaf ghat theddid u mhux tibqa sa l-ahhar tal legislatura bil mazra m'ghonqok biex tisfida. Jekk taghmel hekk allura ser titnizzel bhala pupazz tal cabinet tieghek u Nazzjonalisti li xi darba kienu jammirawk! Ahjar Uff milli Ahh!!!
avatar
LOLLLLLLLLLL * 731 days * not 372 :D
avatar
dr.Lawrence Gonzi, Dr.Tonio Fenech, Dr.Tonio Borg & Dr.Austin Gatt... You have 372 days , starting from today =Countdown.. The PN will make history by a big defeat in the next general election. there was and will never be a loss like this.. This is all your fault.............. RESIST OR SERVE!
avatar
the referendum is consultative in nature and is not binding. it is good that the question puts clear and prudent parameters that can guide an intelligent debate. What was proposed was not just a debate but an actual vote prior to consultation, making a mockery of such consultation because Government probably knows that there is a ajority of anti-divorce MPs in parliament without the benefit of a referendu. a referendum that would say show that 30% of the population is for divorce may shift that majority as some anti-divorcists may refrain from rolling over the rights of a minority that are available the world over. The problem seems to be that there is a group of right wingers within Government who may be wanting to stop the process with all possible means. The Nationalist Party must now decide -is it a modern european party or is it a throwback to the times of the inquisition? So far it has shown itself in my eyes of being the latter.
avatar
Helenio Galea
How on earth can we vote in a referendum without us knowing what we are voting for? The particulars HAVE to be debated in parliament before any referendum is held. The bill FIRST has to be agreed to between both parties so that the people know exactly what the implications and conditions are.