Gonzi expected to summon Parliamentary group as JPO move triggers majority crisis

Nationalist MP and divorce bill promoter Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando this afternoon backed a call by the Opposition for the House of Representatives to discuss the Opposition’s motion tomorrow. The call was however rejected by Speaker Michael Frendo in a ruling.

The call, made by Mizzi came in the wake of Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg’s refusal to agree on a date for the PL referendum motion to be discussed next week.

Mizzi said that since no agreement had been reached in the House Business Committee, he was calling for the House to discuss the motion tomorrow, which, according to standing orders, is the day reserved for private business.

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando’s move to back the Opposition’s call for a debate tomorrow has left government without a majority, and the matter is now in the hands of Speaker Michael Frendo who has to deliver a ruling.

Joe Mizzi accused the government of “obstructing” the debate, and said that there was a clear majority in the House in favour of holding the debate tomorrow.

Mizzi stressed that the unofficial seven-day notice period before business came before the House did not apply for private motions. He also reminded the House that the Opposition (within the Committee) had proposed holding the debate on Friday week, but the government had disagreed.

Under the present circumstances, Mizzi requested a ruling from the Speaker and said that he was requesting a House vote on the adjournment ruling.

In response, Deputy Prime Minister and Leader of the House Tonio Borg said there were rulings which laid down that notices had to be given before a vote on the adjournment motion was moved.

He insisted that the government wanted the motion to be discussed “in the near future”, but argued that the procedure cited by the Opposition had never been followed before.

Speaker Michael Frendo adjourned the rowdy sitting pending a ruling.

Earlier, Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando 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.