PN bans three MPs from contesting party ticket next elections

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday announced a ban approved unanimously by the PN's executive committee and MPs, on allowing MPs Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, Franco Debono and Jesmond Mugliett to contest the next general elections.

The decision comes after Pullicino Orlando and Mugliett respectively voted in favour and abstained on an Opposition motion that forced the resignation of chief party strategist Richard Cachia Caruana from permanent representative to the EU.

In a show of support for Cachia Caruana, who faces an accusation by Pullicino Orlando of having "colluded" with Labour ministers in the 1990s, former prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami attended yesterday's executive committee meeting that also discussed the forthcoming internal hearing on the accusation against his once chief of staff.

On the other hand, MP Franco Debono, who kick-started his own revolution when he abstained on a vote of no-confidence against transport minister Austin Gatt in late 2011, then voted with the Opposition on the resignation of home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici, dubbed the decision by the executive committee as an act of "absolute cruelty".

"The PN administration presented this motion against the three MPs, which was approved unanimously, not to allow them to contest the next general elections for the way they voted on several Opposition motions," Gonzi told reporters yesterday evening.

Both Pullicino Orlando and Mugliett had previously announced they would not run for re-election again.

Gonzi denied this was an expulsion of the three MPs by any other name. "No. It's a decision not to have them run on our ticket in the next elections. They are still members of the party... whether they support the government as MPs it is up to them now. When the parliament reconvenes in the first week of October, we hope we can move the laws that we recently approved, as well as move the IVF, cohabitation and EU stability mechanism laws. It will be an agenda of great national importance, especially in terms of the challenges Malta faces within the European context."

The Prime Minister said the PN was a democratic that always allowed space for different opinions to be made, but he stressed the importance of MPs to toe the line on parliamentary votes as ordered by the government whip.

Gonzi also presented 10 new candidates, which include surgeon Albert Fenech, former MITA chairman Claudio Grech, Austin Gatt's head of secretariat Manwel Delia, Gudja councillor Mark Anthony Sammut, MZPN international secretary Ryan Callus, human rights lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia, and former Union Haddiema Maghqudin secretary-general Gejtu Vella.

"It is normal for a party to prepare itself with a list of candidates as part of a process for preparation for any forthcoming elections," Gonzi said. "This is part of the democratic process of any party to indicate any potential candidate for a forthcoming election."

In his first reaction, Franco Debono described the decision as "an example of GonziPN justice... this is cruelty, absolute cruelty."

But Debono said he was not surprised at the decision. "I knew it was coming with the reforms I had started inside the government, and it started when I flagged the failure of the Arriva transport reform. Now I get to be banned from contesting the election while Austin Gatt is still a Cabinet minister."

Debono said he would not comment on how he would vote on forthcoming parliamentary votes when parliament reconvenes after the summer recess in October. "It is not an expulsion because we are still members of the party. I'm not disappointed since I knew I was sacrificing my political career when I criticised the reforms on transport and justice. I don't regret anything."

Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who left the executive committee meeting an hour after it started, said he expected the escalation from the PN executive: "They have put the cart before the horse. They very well knew I was not contesting. But I will be presenting and preparing detailed evidence at next Tuesday's meeting and I have no doubt that the PN executive will have no alternative but to expel Richard Cachia Caruana."

The executive also unanimously agreed on the procedure for a hearing on Pullicino Orlando's case to have Richard Cachia Caruana expelled from the party, including the deadline for the submission of witnesses and to give time to the former permanent representative to make his defence, on Tuesday 17 July.

A decision will be taken on the same day.

Pullicino Orlando will have to prove his accusations against Cachia Caruana, after calling in Labour MPs Karmenu Vella and Joe Mizzi, Commissioner of Police John Rizzo, EU Commissioner John Dalli, and Gonzi's head of communications Gordon Pisani as witnesses on his accusation.

Vella, a former tourism minister, has provided a sworn affidavit claiming that in 1997 Cachia Caruana tried to disassociate himself from Air Malta's misadventure on the Azzurrair subsidiary and RJ-70 fleet acquisition. Gordon Pisani has issued a blanket denial of Pullicino Orlando's accusations of "collusion".

Cachia Caruana has yet to present the PN executive committee with a list of witnesses, if any, in his defence.

On his part, Pullicino Orlando is claiming that he has "no doubt... the party that I am proud to be part of, will take the adequate decision because there can be no other outcome than the one that I am expecting," on his charge against Cachia Caruana.

All three MPs, Pullicino Orlando, Debono, and Mugliett, were condemned by the party executive following the resignation of Cachia Caruana. The condemnation was quickly followed by speculation over whether the PN executive would expel the MPs, particularly as an open war of words ensued between the party and Pullicino Orlando.

The MP replied with charges of "collusion" against Richard Cachia Caruana, and asked the PN executive to expel him.