Gonzi faces fragmentation as House starts second reading of divorce bill

Tensions are high within the PN parliamentary group after calls for a change in the PN’s anti-divorce stand, following the May 28 referendum result, were ignored, creating a quandary for many MPs who intend to vote in favour of the bill against their party’s official position.

An unscheduled PN parliamentary group – summoned in the absence of divorce bill promoter Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who was away from the island – is reported to have further widened internal divisions, as MPs were left without any solution to the difficulties they are facing by intending to vote in favour of the bill.

The debate led to Floriana MP Jean-Pierre Farrugia to takeon Gonzi, calling on him to make good on his promise of inclusivity and reconciliation with MPs who felt the PN had no absolutist position on divorce.

Farrugia said that no more than 15 MPs on the government side would vote in favour of the divorce bill, but since the PN had not changed its official position against divorce these MPs were now in the awkward position of voting against the party’s official line. The MP said many of his colleagues, himself included, should not be left alone to face the wrath of angry constituents.

“I told you this before, and I will repeat it here in front of my colleagues: you are inviting me to commit suicide, and promising that you will come to my funeral,” sources quoted Farrugia telling the Prime Minister.

Farrugia said the PN was ignoring the result of the referendum, had still not changed its position against divorce and was now talking of reconciliation and inclusion. “It gives no choice to those who will vote in favour of the bill but not to stand again with the party.”

The Prime Minister – who yet again did not reveal how he will be voting on the divorce bill – reportedly left MPs guessing, after he told them that he would be “explaining” his vote when his time came to speak during the debate,.

The PN parliamentary group remains split between Yes voters, abstainers and those adamantly against the divorce bill, and during his introduction to Thursday’s meeting, Gonzi reportedly said that he had received a number of emails from “confused” MPs.

The emails were not circulated among the entire parliamentary group and reportedly came from frontbenchers who do not seem to be sharing their concerns with the backbench.

Some MPs also pointed out that it was strange that during the PN executive meetings and parliamentary group meetings, Minister George Pullicino was the only government minister who didn’t express any view. Nor did he speak during the parliamentary motion that decided the referendum question. It remains unknown if Pullicino will speak during the second reading.

But Thursday’s parliamentary group meeting also revolved around a proposal put forward by deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg and MP Francis Zammit Dimech for the government bench not to call for a division on the second reading of the bill.

According to Tonio Borg – who is also the Leader of the House – a division is normally called to vote against, and doing so could send the wrong message to the electorate.

But the parliamentary group moved to have MPs stand up and declare their vote at the close of the second reading.