Gonzi wins confidence motion, Muscat: 'PM's problems not over' [VIDEO]

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi expressed his satisfaction at Monday's vote of confidence having delivered a "clear and unconditional" vote in favour of his government's programme of work.

His press conference was attended by all government MPs, bar Franco Debono, whose vote on Wednesday prompted the resignation of minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici - the precursor to today's vote of confidence.

"This vote allows us to forge ahead with our programme to focus on the country's priorities, which is what I emphasised in my speech today: the creation of jobs, education and healthcare, and everything that can give people a better quality of life."

Gonzi accused Opposition leader Joseph Muscat of discarding these issues, and of delivering a "hysterical speech".

"This chapter is now closed and we can look to the future... our country is moving steadily forward," Gonzi said.

No questions were taken from the press.

On his part, Opposition leader Joseph Muscat told the press after the vote that Gonzi's problems had not been resolved by the vote of confidence.

"The problem is his leadership style. His tactic to hide and postpone his problems. If he believes he has won tonight's vote of confidence without any conditions, he has failed to understand Franco Debono's message in his speech tonight."

Nationalist MP Franco Debono declined to comment when asked by MaltaToday why he didn't attend the prime minister's press conference, and whether he believed the confidence vote had been without any conditions - Debono himself said in parliament he would support the government as long as justice and home affairs reforms are carried out.

As expected the government tonight won the vote of confidence tabled by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

As Gonzi opened the discussion on the vote of confidence he tabled on Wednesday, he said that he was not only demanding a vote of confidence in his government but that he was also asking for a vote of no-confidence in the Opposition leader Joseph Muscat.

Gonzi said he tabled the motion to give the House an opportunity to reaffirm its confidence in the government following Carm Mifsud Bonnici's resignation. Mifsud Bonnici arrived in Parliament as the Opposition leader was holding his address and cut a lonely figure sitting at the very far end of the government benches close to the exit.

Gonzi noted that there was more to this than other motions, as it also demanded a vote of no-confidence in the Opposition leader Joseph Muscat, "for stooping so low in the use of parliamentary tools, for his crass opportunism and for setting a new benchmark in negative tactics."

He added that on Wednesday the Opposition demonstrated that it placed opportunism above substance. "A motion of no confidence was tabled in a minister with no justification at all. It was an example of how Muscat believes that the end justifies the means."

Talking on his party's democratic credentials, Gonzi said: "I accepted Wednesday's vote as did minister Mifsud Bonnici who tendered his resignation straight after the vote, although nobody approved of the motion and the way it was tabled. I am demanding a clear, unequivocal and unconditional vote of confidence in the government in times which are not and will not be easy. A decision has to be taken by House as is customary in parliamentary democracies."

Invoking the national interest, Gonzi said: "I could have opted to stay away from Parliament and go ahead without asking for a vote of confidence. However Maltese families deserve a government that responds to their needs and aspirations."

"These internal games are of no use to our families. We have an agenda that directly affects people at present, and even for the coming future. We must keep working together for the creation of jobs. On television yesterday, I was asked for how long are we going to persist in 'advertising' our claims of having created jobs. My answer is that the results of these last four years are the confirmation that our policies have delivered, even while the Opposition insists we are not governing well."

In a clear indication that Gonzi intends to stay on beyond the end of the year he said: "In the coming days we step up our efforts in the preparation for this year's budget."

"This vote will be a declaration to continue creating jobs, which will bring a quality leap in many economic sectors," Gonzi said.

In his second intervention minutes before the vote was taken, Gonzi held a vigorous speech, saying that Labour and not the government was hysterical after calling the government fascists and branding its MPs as 'bishops'.

"We've wasted our time listening to Muscat's cut-and-paste speech of regurgitated points he has already made."

At one point as he was speaking about the Opposition's "shameful past", Gonzi and a number of Labour MPs got involved in a shouting match with Opposition MP Michael Farrugia calling Gonzi a "hypocrite."

"Mr Speaker, I can confirm that tonight we will have a clear and unequivocal vote that confirms the confidence in this government," Gonzi said to loud sarcastic cheers by the Opposition.

He then went on to add that "this motion tonight will confirm that the Opposition's attitude here is not a genuine one... Muscat has the ambition of being the youngest prime minister in Maltese history. Our country does not need this sort of prime minister, but a government that governs in the national interest."

Franco Debono confirms his backing

Following a brief intervention by Nationalist MP Francis Zammit Dimech, the government MP who voted against Mifsud Bonnici, Franco Debono, took the floor and in a reconciliatory speech he offered his help to the Prime Minister if "the necessary reforms are carried out"and confirmed that he will be voting with the government tonight.

Unlike past Parliamentary sittings, throughout the debate Debono made it a point to approach several government MPs and have a friendly chat.  

Debono said that last week's events reinstated Parliament as the highest institution in the country, and "it showed that the country is not run through blogs. The dignity of persons is more important than creating jobs. Meritocracy should be the basis upon which society is built," the MP said.

"I am ready to help you," Debono told the prime minister, while PN whip David Aguis sitting in front of him seemed to be barking orders to the maverick MP.

"The government rules as long as it enjoys a parliamentary majority however the government must work hard every day to maintain its majority... Hand on heart, if we had to take the last Wednesday's vote again I will vote in the same way with a clear conscience," he said.

"I'm pleased that the prime minister took home affairs under his belt," Debono said as he then went to on to point out that the Opposition does not have a good track record in justice and home affairs.

In his customary sharp style, Debono could not resist at having a dig at MP Charlò Bonnici who in the last few days said that Debono had no place within the Nationalist Party.

Debono said Bonnici had got "some 600 votes and I got over 2,000... let me tell you something about Bonnici's notion of teamwork: Bonnici had left the Louis Galea electoral campaign just a week before the elections to get elected himself while Galea was not elected."

"For Charlò Bonnici to criticise me on justice and home affairs is really something, he's certainly no expert on the subject."

He also criticised TVM journalist Reno Bugeja for interviewing Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on Sunday without mentioning the state of home affairs and justice. Debono also hit out at bloggers and "lazy" journalists who continuously criticised him without carrying out the necessary research.

In his concluding remarks, Debono said: "I am voting in favour of this confidence motion. Jobs may be important, but let's not treat it just as some mantra... we must focus on the important issues as well."

De Marco's speech sparks up the debate

In an incendiary and provocative intervention, Tourism and Environment minister Mario de Marco dished out a litany of cases of violence and abuse carried by the Police corps under the Labour administration in the 1970's and 1980's.

"This is a surreal motion... there are ten Opposition MPs, and some of them were indeed responsible, for the darkest chapters in the history of the police corps, which Labour was responsible for, which arrested people for over 48 hours, interrogated and tortured them to extract particular statements," an animated de Marco said.

The minister added that Labour was responsible for the Pietru Pawl Busuttil frame-up, the death of Raymond Caruana, the beating-up of  Notary Cachia, Lino Incorvaja and the death of Nardu Debono.

"You were responsible for that police corps and you were shameless in presenting a resignation motion against Carm Mifsud Bonnici because of the theft of a generator from the Civil Protection Department or because three police cars did not pass the VRT test."

De Marco explained that he was at Tal-Barrani in 1986 where he was sprayed with tear gas during the darkest days of the Labour government.

Telling Labour MPs that they should be ashamed of their party's past, de Marco asked the Labour MPs "where were you when these things happened." Labour MPs reacted angrily to this with many of them booing and expressing their disapproval loudly. This led to the Labour whip Joe Mizzi running around the Opposition benches trying to control his troops and asking them to tone it down.

Muscat says the problem is not Debono but Gonzi's leadership

Joseph Muscat accused the government for recurring to hysterical speeches and in a snide remark he noted: "What are we seeing here is some sort of performance to see who is fit to take over the prime minister's job" - in clear reference to De Marco's firebrand speech.

"The problem is not called Franco Debono. The problem is the Prime Minister's leadership style," Muscat said as he warned that the GonziPN system is imploding.

The Opposition leader noted that were it up to the prime minister, the Opposition would not have a right to criticise the government in parliament. "A consistent trait in the GonziPN system is postponing problems, creating decoys, as the government is doing now with the Opposition."

"This government has set a new record in that, in the space of six months, it faced three confidence or no-confidence votes. If this did not raise questions by foreign investors, what else has?"

He said these votes have led to nowhere and even after this evening's vote Malta will be back to square one.

"Nothing will change this, in the same way as when nothing had changed after the PN leadership contest where Gonzi was the sole candidate."

Muscat stressed that the prime minister was being held hostage by his grip to power. He also pointed out that while Gonzi wanted a clear confidence vote without any conditions, Franco Debono had just laid his conditions in exchange for his support to the government.

The PL leader added that during the confidence vote in Transport minister Austin Gatt in November, the prime minister had tied the vote on one minister with a vote of confidence in the government, however he said unlike the Austin Gatt case  Gonzi "left Mifsud Bonnici to swim on his own."

After explaining at length the reliance of Gonzi on Parliamentary secretaries in the last two legislatures, Muscat said: "The Prime Minister will not be totally focused on home affairs, and the reason he cannot appoint a parliamentary secretary is to avoid some internal turmoil. He is that much hostage to the political system he has created."

Muscat demanded answers on a number of issues including the conversion of the Delimara power station to gas, the Enemalta and Air Malta restructuring plans and he also demanded an explanation from Gonzi on the MFSA decision to fine Bank of Valletta "whose chairman is picked by the government."

The Labour leader also expressed his disagreement with the EU proposal to raise the retirement age and said Malta should prioritise economic growth and not ask workers to work for longer hours.

He also reiterated his proposals on youth unemployment, a 'fair society' and the commitment to carry out social impact assessment on all major economic decisions. Muscat also floated a proposal to banish political parties and politicians from taking pictures with children for propaganda reasons.

In his closing remarks, Muscat said "The Prime Minister must the political reality: his problem is not Franco Debono, but the system of governing he has adopted." He repeated his prediction that in a few weeks or months Parliament will be faced with similar situations as the one the majority is facing today, "which will show how much time this government has lost."