Helena Dalli calls out Adrian Delia’s ‘inconsistency’ on domestic violence law

Opposition leader Adrian Delia appears to have been roasted by his own tweet in support of the domestic violence law, with the Equality Minister calling out his 'inconsistency' this evening in Parliament

Equality Minister Helena Dalli throwing Adrian Delia's tweet back at him
Equality Minister Helena Dalli throwing Adrian Delia's tweet back at him

Helena Dalli called out Opposition leader Adrian Delia's "inconsistency" on the domestic violence law by throwing back at him his own tweet on the matter.

In Parliament, Dalli produced a placard with what the Nationalist Party leader had tweeted after the Second Reading of the domestic violence law in which he declared the Opposition was in favour of the law.

At that stage, all PN MPs, apart from Edwin Vassallo, had voted in favour of the law.

Adrian Delia's tweet last January when he declared support for the law
Adrian Delia's tweet last January when he declared support for the law

However, when the final vote on the Gender Based and Domestic Violence Act was taken last week, Delia and 19 other PN MPs voted against. The party gave its MPs a free vote on the matter and eight Opposition MPs broke ranks with their leader to vote in favour of the law.

Dalli asked the Opposition leader to explain his inconsistency. In doing so, she presented Delia’s tweet just after the Second Reading in which he recognised the “ethical dilemma” Vassallo faced on the law, while tagging on the hashtag ‘positive party’.

Dalli asked: “Who is the real leader of the Nationalist Party? It is not enough to say hashtag positive party.”

Vassallo was the first Opposition MP to express concern over the domestic violence law because the reference to the unborn child was removed. He warned this was paving the way for the introduction of abortion, something Dalli denied outright.

It appears that the Opposition leader took Vassallo's cue and opted to oppose the law despite arguing that he was in favour of greater protection for domestic violence victims.

The new law transposed the requirements of the Istanbul Convention, harshening penalties for domestic violence and gender-based violence and giving greater protection to the victims.

Dalli was speaking during the Second Reading of the Bill making widespread changes to the law regulating in-vitro fertilisation.

She accused the Opposition under Delia of wanting to turn back change.