MPs in shouting match as frustration grips long debate on European stability treaty

Moments of tension hit parliament this evening when members of parliament debating the Resolution on the Ratification of the Stability Treaty, Coordination and Governance, burst into shouting.

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech together with Labour MPs Alfred Sant and Karmenu Vella have spent the last eight sittings of parliament debating the treaty after the House agreed to discuss the treaty article by article with Labour MPs Alfred Sant and Karmenu Vella asking questions and Fenech replying.

However, at one point Sant and Fenech kept repeating the same questions and answers, leading Fenech to sit down in frustration insisting he didn't want to go on repeating the same stuff.

Turning to the Speaker he said: "I'm frustrated by the questions being made, full of innuendos. I cannot understand what he [Sant] wants to get at. I don't know how to continue. I'm fed up repeating the same points."

The finance minister added: "We have been discussing this treaty for eight sittings. We are simply wasting the time of this parliament, repeating everything over and over again."

As Speaker Michael Frendo noted that the House had agreed to see through one clause after the other, government whip David Agius commented that "still, we shouldn't be repeating these questions".

However, the former Labour prime minister Alfred Sant retorted that he was "disgusted" by Fenech's remark.

"Other parliaments have been discussing this issue for months. They had the Commission for Foreign Affairs, they had the Commission for Finance and Economy, they discussed in the plenary and the senate," he said.

Reacting to comments passed by Agius, Sant turned to him and told him he "should be ashamed" of himself.

"You should be ashamed of yourself... supposedly a government whip but you should really check how parliament works," Sant told Agius.

Sant accused the government side of attacking the integrity of parliament as both Sant and Agius engaged in a shouting match with each other.

Intervening, Labour MP Karmenu Vella reiterated that the government side was acting in contempt towards parliament. As Vella was speaking, Agius again passed a remark, leading Vella to retort: "Why are you shouting? Let me speak or has your aunt bequeathed you the parliament?"

As Fenech made another comment while Vella was passing his comment on the treaty, the Labour MP branded the finance minister a "knowitall-dot-com" ["tafkollox-dot-com"], saying that government ministers should come to parliament prepared with answers.

When Speaker Michael Frendo managed to intervene over the shouts, he warned the MPs to respect the dignity of parliament and to address each other with respect.

Alfred Sant then left the House, leaving Fenech and Vella to continue the discussion of the resolution.