Muscat, ‘PM is in a strait-jacket'

UPDATE 2 | Opposition leader Joseph Muscat accused the Prime Minister of going against the people and said that Lawrence Gonzi has put himself into a strait-jacket, splitting PN into three.

13 July 2011, 12:00am
by Karl Stagno-Navarra

1 min read

Reacting on his way out of parliament soon after the House approved the second reading of the divorce bill, Joseph Muscat claimed credit for the debate, saying that if it were not for the Labour Party, “this bill would have not seen the light of parliament, thanks to a compact Opposition bench.”

He went on to criticise the Prime Minister: "He [Gonzi] asked a question to the people and refused to hear the reply, acting insensitively to families in need and ignoring his duty towards the people," Muscat said, adding that by voting against the divorce bill, Lawrence Gonzi has split his party into three factions and lost all credibility with the electorate.

"What the Prime Minister did today is unexcusable," Muscat insisted.

When questioned about MP Adrian Vassallo who was the only on the Opposition side to vote against, Muscat said that “its a matter for Vassallo to see and respond to.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi expressed “satisfaction” at the vote, saying that the people’s will “has been respected” and added that he was true to his conscience and will be voting against the bill in all its stages.

"I have always said that the people's will be respected and so I know that I am not in a minority, but who believed that I would be a hypocrite to vote in favour of something I have declared I do not believe in, was wrong," Gonzi said.

Nationalist MP and divorce bill promoter Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando expressed personal satisfaction at the latest development in parliament, and noted that many of his PN colleagues had also voted in favour of the bill.

More from Karl Stagno-Navarra

Patricia Marsh •

In a recent article in The Times, media personality Lou Bondi said if Dr Gonzi voted against because of reasons of conscience, he would have to resign as the captain of the ship of state because it would be inconsistent with his promise to respect the will of the majority. WHERE IS MR. LOU BONDI NOW PLEASE!!!! CIVIL PROTECTION PLEASE HELP

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@ kmemployee ANTICIPATING TOUR COMPLAINT- AND JUST IN CASE YOU THINK I AM SHOUTING FOR THE USE OF CAPS. I AM NOT. I AM HALF BLIND AND USE CAPS SO I CAN SEE WHAT I WRITE!!

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@ kmemployee Dear Joseph, was your party ashamed when they voted against membership to the EU? Was your party not against the will and say of the people? 1-I LIVED IN LONDON AT THE TIME AND HAD NO SAY OR VOTE HERE. 2-I LONDON I ALWAYS VOTED CONSERVATIVE TILL THATCHER LOST THE PLOT. 3- IN SPAIN I VOTED FOR THE PP UNTIL AZNAR GOT HIS PIC WITH BUSH CAUSING THE MASSACRE OF OVER 200 PEOPLE. LAST-SINCE I HAVE BEEN BACK HERE, JANUARY 5TH 2008 I HAVE SEEN NOT CONSERVATISM BUT SLEAZE. U DO PASSIONATELY BELIEVE AND ALWAYS HAVE THAT THE EURO IS A BAD BAD THING AND THE EU IS HITLERS DREAM. NO SWASTIKAS THIS TIME ROUND BUT A LOVELY MADONNA BLUE BACKGROUND AND 12 GOLDEN STARS!! HA HA HA!!! THAT IS MY PERSONAL VIEW! WHAT HAS IT GOT TO DO WITH JOSEPH MUSCAT? PRAY TELL!! I AM VOTING LABOUR IN THE NEXT ELECTION BECAUSE I DO NOT LIKE LIVING I A DICTATORSHIP WHICH WAS DECLARED YESTERDAY!! PLUS THE IGNORANCE. THE ARROGANCE. THE RELIGIOUS FANATICISM AND BECAUSE AS A CULTURED MAB I KNOW WHAT DEMOCRACY US AND MEANS!!

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@ kmemployee Dear Joseph, was your party ashamed when they voted against membership to the EU? Was your party not against the will and say of the people? NO WE WERE NOT NOT ARE NOT NOW EITHER.! TALK AGAIN BY THE END OF THIS YEAR WHEN THE EURO WILL COLLAPSE AS I AM NOW SURE IT WILL AND THE WE WILL ALL CRY IN UNISON" WE TOLD YOU SO IDIOTS!!

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@kmemployee shows how dumb you are about the subject. PL said regards th EU referendum that the following elections would decide the outcome of the EU matter. Losing the election PL respected the peoples' mandate (unlike gonzi and Co) andvoted for entry. get your facts right buddy before making a foll of yourself.

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Dr.Gonzi ma nafx kif qed tajd li int rajt li deccizjoni tal poplu tigi rispetata, din x IPOKREZIJA grassa hi? kif ma tisthix meta INT U ZEWG TERZI tal MP fuq in naha tal GVERN TIEGHEK ma VUTAWX IVA. l MP tal PN 12 BISS FAVUR x'qed tajd? qed tiprova turi lil poplu li int DIMOKRATIKU?!! NO WAY DR.GONZI b'dan l-agir iktar qed turi kif DITTATURA TAHDEM, ir-ramm tiprova tajdlu deheb?!!,l-iswed tajd li hu abjad ?!!! KEMM GHADKOM TAHSBU LI POPLU GHADU CUC? any way hekk adkom tahsbu li maltin cwiec.HALINA DR.GONZI THE GAME IS OVER IT'S TIME UP WE DON'T NEED GADDAFI or ANY SADAMM IREZENJA IMEDJATAMENT!!!!

Luke Camilleri •

A HIGHLY PAID STRAIT JACKET GETTING €500 A WEEK SALARY RAISE...AND WITHOUT ANY CONSCIENCE PANGS!

Krista Sullivan •

VOTED NO Frederick Azzopardi, Jason Azzopardi, Tonio Borg, Giovanna Debono, Louis Deguara, Dolores Cristina, Beppe Fenech Adami, Austin Gatt, Lawrence Gonzi, Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Edwin Vassallo, Francis Zammit Dimech. ABSTAIN Frans Agius, Charlo Bonnici, Jean-Pierre Farrugia, Tonio Fenech, Mario Galea, Peter Micallef, Philip Mifsud, Clyde Puli, George Pullicino, Stephen Spiteri, Ninu Zammit. ALL TO REMEMBER THAT THESE SAME PEOPLE WHO VOTED NO OR ABSTAINED TODAY AGAINST THE MAJORITY OF THE REFERENDUM RESULT ARE THE SAME THAT VOTED YES FOR INCREASE OF 500EURO PER WEEK IN THERE OWN SALARY

Igor P. Shuvalov •

"I would be a hypocrite to vote in favour of something I have declared I do not believe in, was wrong," So , dear Prime Minister, according to your reasoning there are a number of hypocrites in Parliament and the majority of them belong to your party! Better think twice before you try to find excuses for your 'no' vote as what you are saying is putting you more in a tight spot. If I was a Nationalist MP, who whatever were my believes, voted 'Yes", I would be really offended by such statements.

Mario Pace •

The Prime Minister is in a tight spot and for sure he hasn't got the majority of the people behind him......it's about time he calls an election before more harm is done to the PN party.

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@kmemployee It seems people go to great lengths to avoid the truth. Comparing when PL voted against the EU membership is like comparing apples & oranges but perhaps you are not a fruit afficianado. (a) JM was not an elected MP and the MLP did not legislate to have the referendum as they were in opposition. (b) Lawrence Gonzi is the PM and he legislated a Divorce referendum, while after the referendum result, he continued he still disrespected the people's choice. While you brought up the subject of the EU in these dark days of the Eurozone, maybe time will prove the MLP right in their opposition to EU membership especially if the Eurozone countries start defaulting and the Euro is no longer legal tender.

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kmemploye Hey there. We are now in 2011! You are living in the past!

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And how!

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Dear Joseph, was your party ashamed when they voted against membership to the EU? Was your party not against the will and say of the people?

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YES MR PM, the will of the people was respected, but not by your party, but by Pl,so please donot take the credit, that the will of the people is respected,& BELIEVE me ,the people will remember come next election, so please be brave & let somebody else from Pn ,be a leader, if maybe the PN ,have a chance to be in power again, cos if not, you never be PM again, not by a long chalk!! You dissapoint a lot of people to-day, by your vote!!