JPO challenges Tonio Borg on referendum, 'I will not accept any changes to questions'

Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has challenged deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg to accept a request for a debate next week on Labour's motion to hold a consultative referendum on divorce. "There is majority in the House that wants to discuss it next week," Pullicino Orlando said, stressing he will "not accept any changes to the proposed questions for a referendum."

A meeting of the House Business Committee that discussed Labour’s motion for a referendum on divorce ended in a standoff between government and opposition MPs on when to hold a parliamentary debate on Labour’s referendum motion.

Tonio Borg refused to budge from his stand that the government MPs needed time to discuss the motion, and would only say that the debate would be held "within a reasonable amount of time."

Opposition MPs Anglu Farrugia and Joe Mizzi, suggested that the motion be discussed next week during an all-day debate, and concluded with a vote.

Borg was categorical that the debate would not be held before the PN parliamentary group could meet and debate the issue. “No, I will not give you a date today,” he told government MPs. 

The stormy meeting included an interjection by divorce bill promoter Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando that challenged Tonio Borg to agree to holding the debate on Labour’s motion next week, as there existed a majority in the House that wanted this debate to be held.

Borg dismissed this by saying that even if three fourths of the House was in favour of the motion being discussed next week, there was no reason to rush a debate through parliament "before the referendum question is properly discussed." 

Borg said that government could not commit itself today on when a motion for the holding of a divorce referendum would be debated in Parliament, since the matter still had to be discussed by the PN parliamentary group. He insisted that the motion was only presented last Monday, and promised a fixed debate date “as soon as possible.”

In response, Anglu Farrugia maintained that given that Gonzi had “already spoken of granting a free vote” anmd expressed a hope that the debate take place as soon as next week, he had effectively given the go ahead for the motion to be debate.

Borg countered by saying that the Prime Minister “had spoken before the text of the motion was issued.”

In his own addresses, Mizzi emphasised that the PN’s parliamentary group “has had months to discuss the bill upon which the motion’s referendum question is based on. What on earth could there possibly be left to discuss?” he asked.

In more than one instance, Farrugia accused  Borg of resorting to“delaying tactics,” an accusation Borg dismissed by saying said that it was and never will be government’s intention to “delay anything,” however “government will not tolerate any imposition.”

Borg stressed that he couldn’t agree to holding a debate on Labour’s motion next week because the parliamentary group still had to meet, while three ministers needed to attend meetings abroad next week.

Mizzi challenged Borg to explain what commitments and trips abroad were so important as to take precedence over an issue that the PM had said deserved the House’s full attention, to the degree that all other issues should be dropped.

Interjecting with permission from Speaker Michael Frendo who presided the House Business Committee meeting, PN MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando also challenged Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg into agreeing to hold the debate next week.

Pullicino Orlando said: “there is a majority in the House that wants the Bill to be discussed within two weeks.” He added that the proposed question listed in the Labour motion to be put before the electorate in a referendum on divorce, related directly to the important elements of the Bill.

These elements, he said, which were that people had to be separated for four years before they could be eligible for divorce; that the marriage would have irrevocably broken down; and there were arrangements for maintenance and the care of children.

The Nationalist MP expressed his appreciation for way the discussion was held within the PN executive committee, and added that in his concluding remarks last Saturday, Prime Minister and PN leader Lawrence Gonzi said that if a referendum was held, the question had to be related to the Bill.

Pullicino Orlando said that even the Prime Minister had expressed the intent that if not this week, the debate should start next week. He stressed that the issue is now of national interest and that the people wanted this matter to be resolved.

"It's about time we move forward, a majority in the House wants the debate to be held in the coming days, and this does not mean only the PL and myself," Pullicino Orlando said.

Turning directly to Tonio Borg, who is also PN Deputy Leader, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando insisted that the divorce question was fair and said one could not have a position which was more conservative than this.

“As co-presenter of the Bill, I would not accept changes,” the PN MP warned.

At the end of the meeting, Opposition Whip Joe Mizzi said that once the government did not want to set a date, the Opposition - in line with standing orders – will now be formally requesting that the motion be debated tomorrow, which the standing orders reserved for private business.