[WATCH] Abela tells LGBTIQ+ council he will continue Labour’s liberal agenda

Abela tells LGBTIQ+ council he will continue Labour’s liberal agenda

Robert Abela has pledged to further the liberal agenda that has characterised Labour’s legislatures in a meeting with the government LGBTIQ+ consultative council.

The Prime Minister said his government will continue the civil rights agenda, declaring that he was proud to have been a legislator who voted in favour of the changes of the past years.

“I am proud to have voted in favour and would have also backed those decisions taken before my time in Parliament,” he said, adding that a lot was done but not enough.

“This is a field that remains fluid and change must continue... it is our duty to eliminate discrimination,” Abela said.

If discrimination is not eliminated, the country cannot continue to uphold the person’s dignity, he added.

The Prime Minister recalled the controversy that erupted on child adoption when the civil unions law was introduced in 2014, adding that time proved that the concerns were misplaced. “Apart from it being a legal development, this is also about cultural change, and when radical changes are being introduced we may need to have educational campaigns to inform people,” Abela said.

Ironically, in 2014, Abela’s father George Abela, who was then president, had serious reservations on the civil unions law, particularly the part that allowed gay couples to adopt.

The Labour government had in fact postponed the legislation by a couple of months until after George Abela’s term in office ended in April that year to avoid a constitutional impasse.

The civil unions law was eventually signed into law by President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca.

Equality Parliamentary Secretary Rosianne Cutajar attended the meeting.

The LGBTIQ+ consultative council ropes in representatives from human rights organisations and gay rights activist groups and is tasked with advising the government on policy.