Fenech stands by PM’s decision to address crisis within the party

Finance Minister Tonio Fenech said the Nationalist Party had the responsibility to resolve the political crisis its one-seat majority was facing and that Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was taking all necessary steps to do so.

Speaking on One TV's Inkontri, Fenech defended Gonzi's choice to announce a leadership contest, despite calls by various stakeholders and government MPs including backbencher Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, insisting that the country should go to the polls.

"Government's problem is with an MP who expressed his distrust in the Prime Minister. When the no confidence motion was presented, the MP abstained which in itself is a clear sign that his issue is not with government. If the MP wanted to topple government, he would have sided with the Opposition," Fenech said, referring to Franco Debono's abstention in Parliament last week.

"The Prime Minister acknowledged this problem, to the extent that he has called a leadership contest."

He added that Gonzi was not delaying proceedings, but was opening the door to solve Debono's issue with his leadership by giving the opportunity for someone else to replace him if the general council felt he should be replaced.

"If then Franco Debono doesn't accept a situation where Gonzi is re-elected, that would be another story," Fenech said, adding that it wasn't true that Gonzi found a safe haven within the PN's General Council.

Fenech also remarked that government and the political party were relatively the same thing.

Fenech insisted that the electorate had voted for the Nationalist Party and not single individuals to be in government:

"If the Prime Minister really wanted to delay time he would have ignored Debono and continued to govern with the Speaker's casting vote," he said adding that asking for a secret ballot was risky as no one knew who voted what.

Siggiewi mayor Robert Musumeci said probably the Prime Minister was presuming that once he, or someone else for the matter, will be confirmed as the new party leader, the parliamentary group would be expected to answer with "absolute loyalty" to that new leader.

"Most probably Gonzi will be the one to be re-elected as the PN's leader. But whiatever the outcome, they're expecting Debono to bow his head to the democratic process. If this would be the case, then the problem would be solved," he said.

Musumeci added that Debono had stopped giving comments to the media, to "think about" what's going on.

Labour MEP Edward Scicluna compared the crisis Gonzi is currently facing with that faced by Tory leader John Major in 1995. Major had faced leadership problems following a deep divide in his party.

Just like Gonzi, Major had called a leadership contest. However, unlike Gonzi, Major resigned as party leader, but retained his post as Prime Minister.

Referring to Gonzi's decision not to convene parliament unless all government MPs are in Malta, Scicluna went on to remind that while Maltese ministers had missed five important EU meetings because of the current crisis, the Maltese parliament had now been 'postponed' despite the turbulent economic situation.

Scicluna said it was important for the Prime Minister to attend the European summit, but it didn't mean that parliament should not meet.

Earlier this evening, the PN issued a statement saying that Parliament would not meet unless all government MPs are in Malta.

Scicluna said the real issue was what the man out of the street was making out out of the whole situation: "While the Prime Minister and his party machine are gearing up, his image is slowly deteriorating as more time passes."

"GonziPN is the victim of a conservative force and the progressive group which is part of the same party. It is however clear that the party is being led by the more conservative clique," Scicluna said, adding that people now wanted change as they've had enough of listening to the PN trying to scare people with stipends and other issues which formed part of the past.

Fenech retorted that the PN was in reality open to the new voices inside the party, to the extent that it updated its basic principles document following the divorce referendum, while the Prime Minister had assured that the divorce legislation would pass in Parliament.

Illum editor Julia Farrugia said that the current crisis was not of a political nature to be solved within the party structures: "Debono has made it clear his problem is with Gonzi as Prime Minister. How can the problem be solved by submitting his leadership to the scrutiny of the PN?"

Farrugia went on to say that Debono also criticised ministers for never shouldering responsibilities for their actions, even when authorities and entities falling under their portfolio registered deficiencies.

In reply, Fenech said the prime minister dictates the position of a minister: "It is for this reason that the Prime Minister assumed the responsibility and reshuffled the Cabinet. Through the cabinet reshuffle, the Prime Minister gave his judgement."