Government MP says Carm Mifsud Bonnici 'should stay on'
Government MP Edwin Vassallo says home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici should stay on as minister even if censure motion is approved.
Speaking in Parliament during the debate on the Opposition's censure motion on home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici, Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo said the minister "should not resign even if the motion is approved."
In a bid to pile the pressure on Nationalist MP Franco Debono who been very critical of Mifsud Bonnici, Vassallo said that a vote against a minister equates to a vote against the Government.
He added that the attack on Mifsud Bonnici is an "attack on the government" and said the minister should not give up his post because he still enjoys the confidence of the government.
"If the motion goes through, the government should take note of the vote but home affairs minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici should not resign, as there is no real reason for the Opposition's motion of censure."
Speaking to MaltaToday, Vassallo said the Opposition's motion "is not morally valid and is based on superfluous motivations."
As Parliament continued the debate on the Opposition's motion, Vassallo argued that Labour only tabled the motion because a government MP, Franco Debono, publicly declared that he does not agree with the state of affairs in the justice and home affairs sectors.
"The Opposition is taking advantage of this situation and its only aim is to get Mifsud Bonnici to resign," the Mosta MP added.
In his passionate speech Vassallo described the motion as "immoral and a case of moral political violence."
He noted that this is the fourth time the Labour leader Joseph Muscat is pushing a vote of no-confidence in the government or one of its ministers. Vassallo explained that the Opposition has "never stooped so low."
Vassallo said that during the past four years the motion's signatories, Labour MPs Michael Falzon and Jose Herrera had ample time to criticise the justice and home affairs sectors but "now, all of a sudden even what was right has become a wrong."
At the end of Vassallo's address, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi stood up and shook Vassallo's hand and congratulated his MP. Vassallo told MaltaToday that this was a spontaneous reaction and Gonzi happened to be close to him since Vassallo sits right behind the Prime Minister on the government benches.