Alternattiva slams Labour leader’s position on divorce bill as 'spineless'

“We have already expressed our support for the private members’ bill presented by Pullicino Orlando, especially since about two weeks before, AD had sent to all MPs a copy of the Irish and Italian divorce bill,” AD chairperson Michael Briguglio said in response to a question by MaltaToday.

“What Pullicino Orlando basically did was to present the bill which we had sent to him,” Briguglio told this paper.

Briguglio revealed that there had been “no contact between us”, since AD had written to all MPs and the social affairs committee.

Briguglio accused the PL and the PN of “behaving like Pontius Pilate on the divorce issue and trying to please everyone”.

The PN does not have the courage to take a stand in favour of divorce despite the fact that Pullicino Orlando had presented a private members bill,” Briguglio charged.

“On the other, hand, the PL, I am sorry to say, Joseph Muscat during Bondiplus showed that he was spineless since he said that he would vote in Parliament according to what the Nationalists vote,” the AD chairperson charged.

“I expect that a politician such as a leader of the Opposition has to have a clear position, and not try to please the crowd,” Briguglio told MaltaToday.

“We are declared, there are no 'ifs' and 'buts' – we would vote in favour of divorce on the Irish model, which is a responsible model,” the AD chairperson added.

On his part, AD spokesperson for EU and international affairs Arnold Cassola appealed for the private member's bill presented by Pullicino Orlando to be discussed in Parliament “not like other private members bills in the past. It is important that the motion is put on the agenda and that every MP takes his responsibility and vote. We cannot continue hiding from this issue with some excuse or another."

Briguglio and Cassola recently took part in the European Greens’ congress in Tallinn, Estonia.

Two of these motions were specific about Malta – the BP drilling off the coast of Libya and the introduction of divorce in Malta.

Cassola revealed that the motion on divorce in Malta had been “unanimously approved by all 36 delegates attending this congress”.

The European Greens found it “very anomalous that EU citizens, including Maltese citizens – remember that that there are 19,000 non-Maltese EU nationals residing in Malta who would have to go abroad to obtain a divorce,” Cassola insisted.

“This is unacceptable for the European Greens and they have passed a resolution calling on the European Greens to continue monitor the situation so that eventually this basic civil right is introduced in Malta,” he added.

Turing to the BP drilling motion, which was also proposed by AD, Cassola described the multinational oil company as “the corporation which has made the most environmental damage in history.

“However in Malta, there was no reaction whatsoever by the Nationalist Party or the Labour Party about this drilling,” he said.

“They are ignoring the fact that even if one-tenth of what has happened in the US and other areas happens in Malta, the Maltese would be condemned to a lifetime without drinking water since 60% of the water that we utilise is taken from sea water,” Cassola said.

In Finland and Ireland, among others, the Greens were in Government, while in other EU countries, the Greens were large opposition parties. In the EP, the European Greens were the fourth largest party in the EP.

Briguglio also announced that the Cerationia Foundation and the Green Federation would was going to organise a conference on divorce on Saturday 23 October 2010 at the Julian Hotel in St Julian’s which will feature experts on divorce as well as representatives from the PL, PN and AD.