Labour to force debate on no-confidence motion against Austin Gatt

The Labour Party has filed two motions today which call for the immediate debate of both the motion Labour whip Joe Mizzi filed on Friday last week to repeal the car parks privatisation, and the no-confidence motion against Transport Minister Austin Gatt filed today by Nationalist MP Franco Debono.

The two motions effectively call on the Speaker of the House to adjourn the parliamentary sitting so that debate on each motion starts on the next day of business.

MaltaToday understands that while the motions have already been filed with the Clerk of the House, the House will have to convene on the next day of business to discuss either motion as and when the Opposition whip raises the motions during a forthcoming parliamentary sitting.

Earlier today, a compromise proposed to both sides of the House by the Speaker to schedule the debate on the Opposition's motion on the car parks privatisation for end-October was not accepted by the Opposition, which is insisting that the motion is debated next week.

As things stand, the motion could be debated on 12 November because no agreement has been reached, however PL deputy leader for parliamentary affairs Anglu Farrugia said Debono's no-confidence motion against Austin Gatt had added to the urgency of the debate on the car parks motion.

Instead, the bills that regulate the in vitro fertilisation industry and cohabitation will be debated on 15 October for a total of some nine sessions between both issues.

Debono today filed a motion of no-confidence against transport minister Austin Gatt, after first saying he would include this no-confidence motion as an amendment to Labour's motion against the privatisation of car parks. The privatisation process was suspended this week by Cabinet decision, after Labour filed the motion to repeal it last week.

Debonbo's four-and-a-half-page motion states, amongst many reasons, that due to the "completely inexistent resignation culture" which Debono says has "threatened the state of democracy", it was "urgent for the House to exercise its supremacy".

"Since it is clear that the Prime Minister, who is strong with the weak and weak with regards to Minister Agostino Pio Gatt, does not face him with the responsibilities of action... this House is called upon to censure and condemn minister Gatt and that he suffers the consequences of a vote of no-confidence of this House."

Independent MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who attended the House Business Committee today, floated the option to the government side - represented by Tonio Borg, whip David Agius, and Frederick Azzopardi - that should Austin Gatt resign, Debono would not vote against the Budget as he has threatened to do. "I think government should look into Gatt resigning, because Debono's issue would be solved and government can go on with the Budget," Pullicino Orlando said, referring to Debono's threat to vote against the Budget while Gatt is still a Cabinet member.

Transport minister Austin Gatt today put paid to claims that he might resign as Cabinet minister in pre-empting any motion calling on him to resign.

"Franco Debono says many things and everybody has to take responsibility for what they say," Gatt said of the Nationalist MP's open-faced rebellion and threat to vote against the next Budget if Gatt stays on as minister.

"I have no intention of resigning," Gatt said when asked about Debono's intention not to support the next Budget with Gatt as minister. Debono had already abstained on a motion of no-confidence against Gatt moved by Labour back in November 2011 over the public transport reform.