‘We disappointed on civil unions’ but PN is changing says De Marco

Nationalist deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, Mario de Marco, has dubbed the Opposition’s abstention on civil unions and gay adoptions back as a “disappointment” to voters who expected a clear position in favour or against one of Labour’s most popular of legislative changes.

Styling himself as a voice from the Nationalist Party’s liberal wing, De Marco told Net TV presenter Frank Psaila on Iswed Fuq l-Abjad reiterated his belief that the PN had to update itself better to social aspirations.

“I’m no voice in the desert, but I need to make an effort to convince people: on drugs policy, the party has taken a clear position having learnt its lesson from the civil unions debate. We are seeing a party that is more sensitive to today’s issues,” he said.

De Marco said the PN’s litmus test will always be in the way it faces the issues and challenges being faced by society.

“At the start of the legislature, the public wanted to see Labour getting down to work. They didn’t want to see the PN react to every single thing Labour does. Take citizenship, which dominated the political agenda from December 2013 to April 2014. The people understood the PN’s position but it was no longer an issue when the European elections came by. You cannot expect people who voted for Labour in March 2013 to simply change their views in 12 months…”

De Marco said the PN’s next challenge will be its role in steering the forthcoming debate on energy and the Delimara gas plant in parliament, after the Prime Minister said the plant will not be ready by a self-imposed deadline of March 2015.

“Joseph Muscat has to assume responsibility for having tied energy price cuts for households and businesses to the construction of the new power station. We warned him that he had no need for a new plant with the Delimara extension and the interconnector.

“We don’t know whether the Electrogas contract has been signed, let alone having seen it published, and not one single stone laid at the site of the plant. These are questions that will be need to be answered in the House.”