MPs supported counter-motion to fend off early elections

Nationalist MPs were alerted to threat of early elections if Opposition motion was carried.

14 June 2011, 12:00am
by Karl Stagno-Navarra

3 min read

Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has hinted that he would have been used as a scapegoat for Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi to call early elections, had he voted with the Opposition on its motion of censure against the government over the increased honoraria paid to Cabinet ministers.

Fresh from his victorious campaign to introduce a divorce bill – which law Gonzi committed his party to take an official stand against – Pullicino Orlando posted on his Facebook wall a message indicating that he would have prompted early elections had he voted with Labour.

Reacting to a public Facebook message which asked him why he had not “applied his conscience” when he voted with government on a counter-motion to defeat Labour’s honoraria motion, Pullicino Orlando replied that he would “not let anyone use me as an excuse to call an early election. My sentiments were very clearly expressed.” (See picture below)

Pullicino Orlando – a critic of the increased honoraria paid to ministers – refused to tell MaltaToday if he was informed of early elections should he have voted with the Opposition. “I have nothing more to add to the Facebook post,” he said.

Two other critics of the so-called ‘double-salary’, Jesmond Mugliett and Jean-Pierre Farrugia, also voted against the Labour motion. Mugliett made it a point to declare he was sending out a message of stability at a time when parliament is about to legislate divorce.

Pullicino Orlando’s Facebook post however substantiates rumours of the crisis Lawrence Gonzi faced on the honorarium saga, suggesting that the PM had to rein in MPs toying with the idea of voting with the Opposition. The motion called for the retraction of the hiked-up MPs' honoraria that were paid to ministers.

Party sources told this newspaper last week that Gonzi’s closest ministers were informed he would call early elections if his MPs did not support him, and the message soon trickled down to the rest of the backbench.

At the same time, Gonzi still faces a decision on how to vote on a divorce bill that won the backing of 53% of the electorate in a referendum. His predecessor Eddie Fenech Adami said he expects the PN to stick to its values and vote against the bill.

So far Gonzi has not declared his vote, and many within the PN are suggesting that the Prime Minister is being held hostage to the former PN leader’s pressure. Some observers have floated the suggestion that Fenech Adami would rather see his party call early elections in a bid to block the divorce bill from being approved in parliament by a Nationalist administration.

Shortly after an interview given by Fenech Adami on Saturday, in which he said MPs should vote no on the divorce bill because the divorce referendum is consultative, the PN’s youth section (MZPN) came out with a statement urging parliament to respect the people’s will as expressed in the result, revealing an unprecedented split between the liberal and confessional factions within the PN.

Even the PN’s information director, Frank Psaila, wrote in The Times saying the PN still had the mettle to keep its liberal faction within the party.

More from Karl Stagno-Navarra

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@Briffy No dear Sir/Madam, we are not repeating parrotlike what the opposition says, we are repeating and analysing what your beloved P.M. and his group are saying. There's a difference don't you think? And regarding the opposition changing languages when in government, that's a classical example of the pot calling the kettle black. HUH!

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I did not call nincompoops anybody in particular, I had in mind those dimwits who don't analyse what politicians say and sift the chaff from the wheat, and merely repeat parrotlike what the opposition says, completely oblivious that opposition parties speak one language when they are in opposition and another when sitting on the government benches. This is not something unique to Maltese politics; the game is played all over the democratic world.

Micheal Bonanno •

@briffy. Why not go for the PN leadership? Or for a bishop for that matter. You dare to preach to us and at the same time calling us nincompoops? To end up insulting us and calling us names, means only one thing. You've reached the bottom of the pit and you're trying to claw yourself out of it. Your figures, which don't amount to anything, hardly impressed us! Now be a good boy and go and revise your figures, and gather some date from the common man of the street! Maybe you'll get an earful (not physical) if you give them the little sermon you just wrote here!

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@ Briffy Sur Professur ta l-inteligenza, nahseb m'ghandek'x mera d-dar hux biex tghajjar in-nies nincompoops? U x'fiha hazin li min hu batut ghandna nghinuh jew fi kliem Mintoff "min m'ghandux jghix ma min ghandu". Wara kollox dik kienet ordni minghand Kristu li ordnalna "Dak li taghmlu ma l-izghar wiehed fostkom tkunu qed taghmluh mieghi." Jew int u shabek issemmu l-kuxjenza u tikkwotaw il-Bibbja fejn jaqblilkom?

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To all the writers on this website who are not endowed with a modicum of intelligence and just write whatever comes to their mind as long as it puts PN in bad light. You are nothing but a bunch of nincompoops who just regurgitate what the opposition says without bothering to think first. The opposition has to cash in on whatever is not pleasant, like a new tax, but then it will keep the same tax when in government. This game is played by all the opposition parties in democratic countries, but when they are in government they speak a different language. This game is as old as the hills, If one says that there are people who are finding it difficult to make ends meet, they are telling the truth. It's the same all over the democratic world. If one is on a minimum wage or earns less than the average wage of Eur15 000 a year in Malta, one would be in financial straits unless he/she is single and doesn't have parents to support. If that person is married and has a wife and a couple of kids, he is definitely hard-up and will only make it to the end of the month with a lot of effort and sacrifices; if on the other hand his wife works full-time and they make at least Eur20 000 between the two of them they will not be in desperate straits, unless of course they have to repay bank loans, especially if they bought their own house. We all know that the Maltese like the Sicilians have to have a big wedding reception as if they all are American congressmen, and they are ready to spend Eur 12 000; they spend Eur3 000 on parties for their children's holy communion, for their confirmation, for the children's birthdays. A maltese friend of mine who lives in Northern Italy and is married to an Italian girl, had a small party recently for his daughter who made her holy communion. There were about 12 family members and six friends of their daughter. The lunch was prepared by his wife and his mother-in-law, as well as the sweets which were all home made. There were no photographers. the photos were all taken by my members of the family, the whole thing cost a couple of hundred euros. And my friend makes Eur160 000 a year and his wife works partime and makes another Eur70 000. Of course they pay something like Eur60 000 by way of tax. But unlike the Siciliands and the Maltese they are not show offs. They don't spend money on lotto, and despite their earnings they are not spendthrifts. In Malta there is crass ignorancs and poor education which obviously resukts in poor management of their finances. Moreover, the socialist party has inculcated in to these poor people's thick skull that the world owes them a living and the state, like the old USSR props them up from the cradle to the grave. This is a very bad policy and Labour jhas not beeb weaned from Mintoff's dictum li min m'ghandux jghix ma' min ghandu. Joseph Muscat is still preaching about a living wage rather than a minimum wage; he says that wages shoukl reflect people's needa rather that people's skills. So there would be no point for anyone to study and improve his skills, as his pay would be proportionate to his needs. If therefore a chap wants to buy a 8 roomed house, rather than a modest four rooms, and he wants a boat, and a luxury car, and smokes 4 packets of cigarettes a day (Eur500 a month up in smoke) and wants to eat out 4 times a week, and buys smart suits, and want to support his girlfriend, he would be entitled to Eur70 000 a year, if his job is just a bus driver. On the other hand if his colleague has a modest lifestyle and lives with his parents, and doesn't smoke, he will get Eur12 000 a year for doing the same job. Is this fair or sheer madness? Any sane person would agree that the proposal is utter madness.If people want to improve their lot they have to work hard improve their qualifications and skills, and THEN indulge in the niceties of life. And they should not expect others to bail them out. Nobody owes us a living.

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What would JPO have voted if Gonzi had told him to tow the party's line in the divorce referendum or otherwise he would call an early election? I'll bet my last Euro that he would have still voted 'yes' irrespective of the threat. But because he is just a hypocrite and an opportunist he voted against the PL's motion. How is that for consistency JPO?

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Gonzi should be thinking how to govern this country properly but all his efforts UNFORTUNATELY are being used to keep the PN from loosing more ground Come on Dr Gonzi show that you got a PAR IDEJN SODI /////

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Il-kabinett u l-MPs mhux jimxu id f'id. An election defeat will be HEALTHY for the PN I once loved.

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Din l-arroganza kollha b'maggoranza ta 1500 vot u siggu wiehed fil-parlament. Mur gibu kieku kellu maggoranza ta iktar siggijiet x'kien jaghmel!!!

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The question is whether Gonzi can continue to outstretch himself to keep cohesion within....Eventually, he will have to call an election to clear the air, or risk of being challenged for leadership.Either way he decides ( on divorce vote) he would have hit hard either of both factions within the PN, ie the ultar conservatives(confessionals) or the remnants of Liberals. He is being thorn apart by both.....for how long he will endure this? Besides, there are rougher seas and more black clouds which will rock his boat further. He will have to decide whether to sink with his boat or jump to try to save his skin!

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I, too, tend to agree with JPO about his vote if he suspected he would be have shouldered the responsibilty of an early election, which the PL would have won hands down. And perhaps i should not blame him either if he put caution before principles if he intend to contest next election on the PN ticket, should the GonziPN gang (or what is left of it) accept him. Jesmond Mugliett was less clear, but i take it that his stability vote meant just that - that his vote helped the PN remain in power to the end. I am also in agreement with Martin Borg and others that Jean-Pierre Farrugia was the one who should have shown more mettle in the issue. He was one of the earliest and the most vociferous of the PN pack who spoke against the astronomical increase in PM/Ministers' salary, but i now see that he is just a big mouth. Of the three, i would not place my bets on his being elected next time round.

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http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110614/local/pm-planned-early-election-had-opposition-s-honoraria-motion-been-approved.370581 ::: Early election claim 'unfounded' - Office of the Prime Minister :::: wara li uzahom biex jivutaw favurieh, haregg ig-giddeb lil JPO, hahaha tajjba jeff, uzak u ramiek!

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I believe JPO's and Mugliette's excuse and I don't blame them , personal exigencies over rode conscience, yes the famous conscience that all the gonziPN reps have have lost. JPO and Mugliette know that their political career is in a shambles and they think that the next two years would be spent trying to pick up the pieces and maybe have an electoral basis on which to worm their way back into parliament, given that gonziPN would accept them as candidates. My condemnation goes to Jean Pierre Farrugia who started a personal crusade against the wage increase and ended up with u-turns and lame excuses to cover his backstep and voting against thevery thing he crusaded against. Everyone has a price, JPO's and Mugliette's we know but JPF's is still a mystery.

Zack Depasquale •

Xi whud li ivvutaw kontra l-mozzjoni tal-Partit Laburista nhar Is-Sibt issa jridu jbellulna li vvotaw hekk ghax kienet tissejah elezzjoni kmieni, imma kemm jahsbuh tan-nejk lill-poplu Malti. issa lill-dawn it-talin drajnihom, li hafna paroli u ma jaghmlu xejn aghar min hekk issa min fuq qieghdin jippruvaw jigbru gihhom quddiem il-poplu, jien nistaqsi jekk dawn in-nies baqghalhomx self pride ghax mal-poplu tilfu kollox, ghaliex urew li is-siggu shun ahjar mill-interess tal-Poplu. Fl-ahhar mil-ahhar l-elezjoni tigi meta tigi il-poplu sejjer jivvota skond il-kuxjenza, sejjer jara min igib l-ewwel l'interess u l bzonn tal-Maltin qabel xi 500Eur zieda fil-gimgha. Mil-banda l-ohra issa ghandna konferma ta kemm ghandna Gvern li qieghed jahdem b'management by crisis fejn kuljum jiltaqgha ma xi krizi gdida.

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JPO kien jaqlghahha kieku! http://bit.ly/jLpQ71

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Admittedly this is a government of 'hiccups' but no it will NEVER call an early election. How could it - there is too much at stake! They will remain glued to the seat of power to the last possible moment. Otherwise the howlers JPO, Mugliett and JP Farrugia (now Franco Debono & Arrigo have now shut up their loud mouths after being made Parliamentary Secretaries - whatever this means) are only interested in making themselves heard before being booted out of parliament in the next elections.

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@briffy@maltanet thobb tikkwota hafna statistika l-'hawn u l'hemm imma trid tiftakar illi il-kejl tas-scucess mhux biss ekonomiku imma ukoll socjali. Ghamel pjacir lilek innifsek u ohrog staqsi ftit nies kif ihuma qeghdin jghixu. There are lies, damn lies and statistics jghidu imma statistika kurjuza hargitha l-ETC fir rapport annwali taghha tal 2010. L-ETC qeda tghid illi fil-waqt illi l-ekonomija qeghda tirpilja, 2% sabu xoghol full time imma 7.4% sabu xoghol primarjament part time. Tghid ukoll illi l-aktar nies illi huma LTU jew VLTU huma dawk ta' fuq 51 sena u il-figura regghet giet ghal dik illi kellna fl-2006!! Dawn huma 37% ta' dawk kollha illi qeghdin jirregistraw. Il-bilanc socjo-ekonimiku huqa kompletament nieqes f'dan il-pajjiz!

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Xinhi id differenza bejn Lawrence Gonzi u Joseph Muscat hbieb? Joseph Muscat tilef €60,000 fis- sena biex telaq mill parlament Ewropew u gie jaghti servizz xieraq lil Poplu Malti fil-parlament Malti u iz –zieda li kien ha jtih il Prim ministru kien ha jtija li lfoqra. Lawrence Gonzi ta zieda lilu nnifsu u lil Ministri tieghu ta €500 fil-gimgha blura mit 2008, jigifieri l- Prim u lministri ha jiehu €104,000 sa l-elezzjoni u li lpoplu tah €1.16 li tammonta ghal €60.32 sal l-elezzjoni generali. Kif tistghu terghu tivvutaw lil Gonzi PN?

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Sewwa ghamel JPO u ivvota kontra l-mozzjoni tal-PL. Malajr jaghmluh il-haruf tas-sagrifficju l-PN u jwahhlu fih ghad-dizastru li gabu fih lil dan id-daqsxejn ta skoll. Gonzi PN - il-partit demo kristjan u qaddis minn fuq sa isfel irrid jibqa jissemma fl-istorja li dahhal f'Malta l-ligi tad-Divorzju, ligi tal-koabitazzjoni u ll-ligi dwar l-IVF. Tlett irjus tad-dnubiet il-mejta u t-tlieta li huma attribwiti lil Gonzi PN. Wara li jidhlu dawn il-ligijiet imbaghad ghamel fattik JPO

Igor P. Shuvalov •

@ Briffy, Ejja ghal l-argument nemmnu l-istatistika li qed tipprezenta int. Izda x'inhu l-aktar importanti ghall-poplu li jkollu l-but mimli u jkollu x'jonfoq, li jhallas kontijiet ta' l-ilma u d-dawl skont ma jiflah, jew li nippruvaw nizommu mad-deficit level li qed tinponi l-UNjoni Ewropeja? Tghid il-poplu fil-pajjizi li semma hu u li ghandhom deficit gholi, qeghdin ahjar minna? X'qed japprova dan li l-Gvern ikompli jghafas lill-poplu biex jidher sabih ma l-Ewropa?

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There are lies, big lies, and statistics. Then there are cover-ups of indecent figures, like the 500 euro pay rise for the Cabinet. Listen to this for a laungh: Hafna xoghol ma jghoddx ghalina: http://mazzun.wordpress.com/2011/06/14/hafna-xoghol-ma-jghoddx-ghalina-bdedika-lill-onor-stephen-spiteri-u-shabu/

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@guidocforte Jekk qed tahseb li Gonzipn fis sentejn li baqalu se joqghod ihabbel rasu fuq id-deficit ghandek zball tafx! Issa drajna li l-PL kull meta jirbah elezzjoni jrid jiret pajjiz mimli dejn. Fl-1971 lanqas sab flus biex ihallas il-pagi tal-haddiema tal-gvern habib. Dak imisshom jghidu certi nies li kuljum jiktbu u jsemmu l-figuri u l-istatistici!! Imma ovvja li mhux se jsemmuhom ghax dawn affarijiet tal-misthija u affarijiet li bil-kuxjenza b'kollox li jiftahru biha iridu jaghmlu l-kontijiet mal-poplu dalwaqt u meta jasal il-waqt kif irid jasal ta kulhadd iridu jaghtu kont l'Alla t'ghemilhom.

Krista Sullivan •

@briffy L-AKBAR CUCC U INJORANT HUWA DAK LI MA'JRIEDX JIFHEM U INT WIEHED MINNHOM

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@Briffy Kif ma tiddejjaqx gurnata wara l-ohra tipprova timpressjonana bil-figuri li hadd ma jemmen? Lilna l-figuri taz-zidiet li hadu shabek tal gvern tieghek komparata maz-zieda li ha l-poplu ghidilna jekk trid tkun kredibbli. Inti l-aqwa li int komdu int tghix fuq pjaneta "Paradise" u halli lilna nghixu real life!!! Mhux ta b'xejn wasalna fiex wasalna b'pajjiz immexxi minn nies bil-mentalita bhal tieghek!!!

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Helloooo Briffy. Do you really believe all the statistics you read?? Do you believe that those in power show you ''ALL'' the statistics or only those which shown them in a good light!!! If so why is our GDP and purchasing power still one of the lowest in the EU? Like when once they said that the standard of living in Ireland is down by 10% which Malta's was up by 3. something percent!!! Big success eh. Poor chaps, the Irish i said. But at the end, after these changes, their minimum wage is still 50% higher than ours.

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@ briffy. You're living in another planet. Ask the people outside whether they feel the benefits of the lower deficit you are talking about. What matters is the welfare of the people, especially those most in need. The people are not concerned with GDPs, Central bank reports, EU deficit limits and the accounting part of it all. We are feeling the pinch, and if you are not feeling it, then good luck to you. You must be either one of the higher-income guys, or else one who remains at home watching Net TV and listening to 101 only.

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@briffy Int possibbli ghadek mazzun u temmen il figuri tal gvern? ??Ghalfejn tahseb li irrezenja ic chairman tal bank centrali ghax kollox miexi fuq ir-rubini bhall ma qieghed tghid int? Jew ghax il- gvern ghandu xeba dejn li qed jahbieh mill eu (creative accounting). Taf li l-enemalta wara ix-xiri ta l- estensjoni tal powerstation u l- interconnector cable ser ikollha mal BILJUN EWRO dejn? U dan id dejn mhux meqjus bhala dejn nazzjonali ghax skond dan il- gvern l-enemalta hija kumpanija parastatali? U Bhall dawn hemm ohrajn bhall Transport Malta, id- dejn ma l-importaturi tal medicini u Airmalta, kif ukoll dejn tal gvern mal banek cummercjali (li maq jidhirx) biex il gvern jiffinanzja il progetti, bhall dak ta bieb il- belt. Anke id- deputati tal gvern qabzitilhom u jixtiequ jivvutaw ma l-oppozizzjoni, izda certi blue eyed boys jibqghu jiddefendu lill gonzipn ghax jiddependu minnhom finanzjzrment u ghall xejn izjed.

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@Guidoforte...the budget deficit is down to 3.6% of GDP according to the Central Bank report, this is down from 3.7% in 2009. As you know the EU recommends a ceiling of 3%, so Malta is on its way to dip below the limit. So where is the disaster you're talking about? Several EU states have a budget deficit of twice Malta's.

Helenio Galea •

PN does not want to be in government in 2013-2018. Whoever will be in government that will be one of the most difficult times ever. RE the liberal faction within the PN - that won't be lost. It has been lost.

Desiree' Attard •

It is said that every cloud has a silver lining. While we are living at a time where prices are increasing many times over, at least we get something for free.....live entertainment from the government's side. Keep it up, boys. You're doing us all a mighty favour!

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Inkunu boloh jekk f`nofs legistratura issir elezzjoni, specjalment fil qaghda finanzjarja disastruza li l-gvern ta GonziPN, gabna fiha.L-anqas irrid nimmagina lil Dr.Muscat jidhol imexxi il pajjiz f`dan id disastru. Sa ma tigi elezzjoni ohra, il gvern ta GonziPN irid jara ser jghamel ghad defisit li ghamel hu u siehbu ta qablu. Dak li ikun ser itih " hass hazin kull meta jiftakar ". Il kolla li tintuza mil P.N. sabiex ma jinqalawx min fuq dak is siggu tal poter hija qawwija wisq. F`pajjizi tat tielet dinja, fejn hemm id dittaturi imexxu isiru dawn l-affarijiet, u mhux f`pajjiz demokratiku. Ghal dak is siggu ghanke l-ommom ibieghu.

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Hey man you cannot get any lower,good luck folks :)

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Mhux xort sentejn ohra (jekk ma jinqalxxi haga ohra) sentejn ohra ntajrukom minn hemm. Ma l-elezzjoni addio Gvern tal-PN, Addio Gonzo+, u nibdew l-investigazzjonijiet tal-hnizrijiet li qeghdin jitwetqu u minikun ghamel il-hazin ihallas talli jkun ghamel.

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Incredible. So now it's official that we have a party that votes to remain in government not for what is right or wrong for the good of the country. Not even Labour in their worst period between 1986-87 rediculed themselves in this way. Viva Gonzistan !! ps. kull pajjiz ikollu l-gvern li jixraqlu ie Pajjiz tal-mickey mouse = gvern tal- mickey mouse.

Luke Camilleri •

Nationalist MPs were alerted to threat of early elections if Opposition motion was carried - Ivvutaw b'KUXJENZA....biex ma tinqatalhomx iz-zejza!