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Follow the party line, or face the consequences | Tonio Fenech
In an interview with Illum newspaper, Finance Minister Tonio Fenech expresses his frustrations and concerns regarding the Nationalist Party and its image in the eyes of the electorate.
30 June 2012, 12:00am
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Karl Stagno-Navarra
1 min read
Finance Minister Tonio Fenech says a divided party cannot serenely face the electorate
Whoever doesn’t toe the party line, must accept the fact that there are consequences and the party has the right to exercise disciplinary action.
This was said by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech in an interview with Illum newspaper, during which he also expressed his frustration at the fact that a divided party “cannot serenely go before the electorate”.
Fenech describes the Legislature led by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi as “the most difficult since the seventies” and admits that the problems within the Nationalist parliamentary group are “internal issues which are blotting the success achieved by government, despite the crises which are depleting the European economies and beyond”.
The Finance Minister acknowledged that every recent survey showed that the Labour Party was ahead of the PN by 12 percentage points. “It is true that the PN has been in government for a number of years, but this doesn’t mean anything, because it is the results which count.
“I feel frustrated when I see that the good work being done by government is being blotted by internal disputes,” Fenech says, who adds that despite having new faces in Cabinet when compared with those on the Opposition benches, “we still end up delivering a distorted message to the electorate of political fatigue, when this is truly not the case.”
Read the full interview in today’s digital edition of Illum.
Luke Camilleri •
Is Tonio Fenech hearing VOICES again or Tonio Fenech just being himself?
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I totally agree with the comment by 'monte'! Since GonziPN was very arrogant towards us, they shouldn't expect any respect or sympathy from most Maltese. And surely it's sad to watch the party in government disintegrating itself, but they should stop blaming the PL for taking political advantage of this situation, especially in these difficult international financial crisis. GonziPN always try to remind us of the 80's, but they always forget to mention how many times EFA and co. went abroad to try to harm the country by creating stories to damage Malta's international image! Well, what goes round comes around Gonz! If Dr.Gonzi is so confident of all his governments' achievments, why doesn't he call an election to get rid of those 3 backbenchers and can govern in more serenity? Simple, because probably it's GonziPN's last attempt to deceive the Maltese people!
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DICTATORSHIP ate its best. Thanks Tonio for showing us what the GonziPN really is.
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Spoken like a true representative of GonziPN's democracy, Adolf Hitler couldn't have phrased it better.
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What a stupid remark. JPO has said he has no intention of contesting the forthcoming election. JM may also withdraw. That leaves FM who may be the one to lead the NP to victory in five years time. A tired party with tired ministers trying to battle it out for power.
Zack Depasquale •
One to be ready, two to be steady, three GO! and the race is on for the GonziPN Leadership.
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"I feel frustrated when I see that the good work being done by government is being blotted by internal disputes".
Dear Tonio it is only natural to feel frustrated in this situation. But do you realise how many Maltese families are frustrated with Gonzipn, especially when they hear Gonzi himself declaring that he is voting "BILL-QALB" to increase the electricity bills? Do you realise how many workers feel frustrated when you and your buddies increased your salaries by Euro 600 and they got (from you) Euro 1.16.Do you realise how many frustrated Maltese people feel when they were 'guaranteed' serhan il-mohh and finished jobless (Ait Malta, Sea Malta Dockyard etc.)Do you realise how many hunters are frustrated after being promised that nothing is going to be changed and your Gonzipn abolished their hobby? And most of all do you realise how much Backbencher are frustrated when someone on top of the Party calls them 'BICCA DEPUTATI'
So Dear Tonio if it is natural for you to be frustrated it is likewise natural for ALL of us, including True Nationals Supporters to feel FRUSTRATED with your and Gonzipn actions.
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One of the things that surprises me is that the difference in % points between the GonziPn and and PL is only 12%. I won't be satified unless the difference is more than is at least 3 times that. Malta dosen't deserve you, Malta deserves much better. You have ruined our country in every aspect. Under that Labour regime Malta was slowly but surely making progress and the nation's standard of living was increasing drasticcally, then came the Nationalist Party and ruined everything. The only saying will be left to echo is "Ghalina u ghal uliedna" meaning "The inner circle of the PN and their children". All the other can go to hell.
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Zmienkhom spicca sur fenech,Malta ghanda bzonn nifs safi,intom tghidu li muscat ghandu kilba ghal poter imma il maggoranza tal poplu tghid li intom iggranfajtu mal poter,mhux easy tarmi il pappa sur fenech.X'TAHSEM MAN???
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'because it is the results which count'- What results? Il-munzell dejn li se thallu? Kull haga li tridu taghmlu tridu tiddejnu. Min ma jafx imexxi hekk? Il-kapacita qeda, li meta inti taghmelxi haga taghmilha minn flusek u mhux bi flus haddiehor. Fenech qal ukoll'a divided party cannot serenely go before the electorate. U ahna ma nafux ghaliex ma tridux taghmlu elezzjoni. Ghax tafu li l-poplu mhux jemmen dak li qed tghidu ghax il-fatti juru mod iehor. Fi Franza saret elezzjoni minkejja l-krizi finanzjajra li hawn u gie elett president li qed jaghmel hit iktar minn Sarko. L-italja, l-istess tkecca gevrn u Monti qed jahdem eccellenti. Allura intom tridu taghtuna x'nifhmu, li tant thobbu lil Malta li jekk tmorru fl-oppozizzjoni se mmutu bil-guh, jew?
Joseph MELI •
If one is a MP the first duty of obligation is to represent the wishes of the people who elected you and your own judgment -is it not? As otherwise we would simply have a puppet show, with blind obedience being the autcratic oath, in Parliament.
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Prosit tar ritratt. KIF INHU MAHRUQ MAN !!!!!
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Finance Minister Tonio Fenech says a divided party cannot serenely face the electorate. Tonio Fenech also should have added that the PN cannot face the electorate, after too much promises before 2008 election and afterwards Gonzipn done the opposite. The electorate, especially the workers, such as the shipyard workers and Air Malta workers should never trust Gonzipn and Tonio Fenech knows this because he was involved in the closing of the shipyard and the redundancy of worker at Air Malta. The electorate will never forget the heavy water and electricity bills and heavy increase in gas and fuel prices. Now that the election is getting closer we should have some drop in these prices so the electorate will see that Gonzipn is near the people. The electorate will not forget the promise, before 2008 election, of income tax reduction, but instead Gonzipn increase his salary and his cabinet salary by 600 euro per week. Divide or not, the pn will find the electorate judging them what for what they did during these last years, after all this is Gonzipn wish.
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Ministru...Liema huma il `party lines ?` Issa ser johorgu...il Ministru Chris Said, jghjed tieghu, il ministru Cassar ghejd tieghu, il ministru George Pulicino jghejd tieghu, il ministra Giovanna Debono tghejd taghha ovvja il Bully li ghandha gewwa il belt, tghejd is segretarju ma jghejdx xi haga....Dawn huma tal linja li qeghedin isemmu..il Prim diga tkellem...l-ohrajn il backbenchers kollha qishom it `Toy Soldiers`kif timbotta wiehed jaqaw kollha.Jew puppazzi, li jingibdu bl`ispaga.Jekk hemm problema mhux fil cabinet trid tissolva ? La tasal fil parlament jigifieri hemm id disgwid...
