‘The day we are afraid to express principles and values we should call it a day’ - Austin Gatt on divorce

In a letter replying to Pullicino Orlando, Austin Gatt wrote: "It is simply unheard of that a political party does not take a stand on one of the most important social questions that Malta has faced in years!!”

He maintained that “if political parties do not clearly state where they stand on the social questions of the day, when should they take a stand? Are we going to argue the same when we come to discuss IVF, gay rights, abortion, euthanasia and all other difficult questions that face Maltese society today.”

“In my long years in politics,” Austin writes, “this is the first time I have heard someone argue that parties should not take a stand on social matters, the more so on something as fundamental as the introduction of divorce is within Maltese society.”

Quoting a line from Pullicino Orlando’s original email, Gatt argued that “it is then preposterous to argue that we should not take a stand because we may be 'alienating a large segment of PN supporters who are also genuinely in favour or against divorce for a number of reasons'.”

“We are not a party of convenience,” Gatt writes unequivocally. “Let's leave that to Dr Muscat and the Labour Party who coincidentally today declared as well that the Labour Party would not take a stand, exactly as has been proposed in this morning's email.”

Gatt said that the PN is a party proud to be based on principles and values “and the day we are afraid to express those principles and values we should call it a day. We are not in politics because of the fear of losing votes - we are in politics because we believe that our ideas about society are right," he stated emphatically.

Despite being a leading proponent of all three private members bill proposing the introduction of divorce into the Maltese legal framework, Pullicino Orlando circulated an email among the PN’s executive council on Sunday morning urging the party to avoid taking a stand on divorce.

He backed up his argument with the Sunday Time’s editorial and a reader comment published on the website.

"If the party takes a stand for or against divorce I sincerely feel we will be doing untold harm to it by alienating a large segment of PN supporters who are also genuinely in favour or against divorce for a number of reasons," he writes.

He urged the party to "let each and every one of us feel free to continue expressing himself on this subject as has been the case up till now. Our democratic credentials have been strengthened as a result of the free and civil debate in our committee.”

He wrapped off his email by enclosing comments made by a disaffected PN die-hard to claimed to have been alienated from supporting the PN due to the way the divorce issue is unfolding.

In an opinion piece appearing on The Times, Gatt said that if the PN takes a democratic decision “against what [he] conscientiously believes in [he] would resign from parliament since [he] cannot ever expect [his] view prevails over the majority view.”

Pullicino Orlando however dismissed this position as a “passionate knee-jerk reaction” intended to counter an earlier piece he had written.

The electronic spat also comes in the wake of statements made by former president Eddie Fenech Adami who urged the PN to stand firmly against divorce.