After referendum victory, AD denounces Labour attempts at sidelining party

Alternattiva Demokratika chairperson Michael Briguglio said he has been dropped from a panel of speakers on One TV’s ‘Inkontri’, presented by Joe Grima, to discuss the divorce referendum victory.

Denouncing the change in plans as “a sidelining of the party”, Briguglio said he was invited on 20 May by One TV to join Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando and Labour MP Evarist Bartolo and three speakers from the no camp.

“This morning, AD Chairperson Michael Briguglio was suddenly informed that he will not be on the panel of TV programme and that his role would be relegated to an interview to be shown during the programme, which Briguglio refused on the grounds of unequal and unjust treatment. This follows the fact that yesterday One TV failed to invite any AD representatives on the live TV debates on the referendum,” the party said in a statement.

AD has been in favour of divorce since its inception in 1989 and had presented MPs with a blueprint for a divorce law based on the Irish model in 2010, which Pullicino Orlando took up,

“Irrespective of attempts to sideline AD, in the coming months AD will confirm that it is not simply a party interested in image change according to where the wind blows,” Ad secretary-general Ralph Cassar said.

“AD is the only truly progressive party in Malta by putting its weight behind a Yes vote while the PN took an official stance against the introduction of divorce and the PL sat on the fence. AD is proud to have set the ball rolling on the divorce issue, and we promise to do the same on other progressive issues.”