In 1998 Alfred Sant was leading a Government with a one seat majority. That one seat happened to be held by one Dom Mintoff. Mintoff could not stand Alfred Sant and Prime Minister and openly rebelled. Rather than appeasing this backbencher Alfred Sant rightly invoked his prerogative and held his ground in the face of his subordinate backbencher. Mintoff voted against the Government. Rather than be humiliated by appeasing Mintoff, Alfred Sant as Premier did the only honourable thing possible, he resigned and his Government collapsed.
In 2008 we have a similar situation. This time Lawrence Gonzi is the Premier and holds a seat majority in Parliament. This seat is held is by one particular backbencher called Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando or as commonly referred to as JPO. JPO is now a confirmed liar, having lied to his Leader, his electorate and to the whole nation. JPO has been completely discredited. All major voices on the island are calling for JPO to resign. If JPO refuses to resign, does Gonzi have the courage of his convictions to expel this discredited politician from his parliamentary group to avoid that his administration be tainted with this discredited politician?
Rather than ‘par idejn sodi’ we have Gonzi the ditherer. A veritable tale of two premiers.
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This must be the only time outside the Labour media that someone described was hat Alfred Sant did in 1998 as "courageous". No, Alfred Sant did not "resign" and the Government did not "collapse" no matter how the issue is spun. A Government in any democracy collapses when a no-confidence motion is passed or key legislation, like the financial estimates, is defeated. None of that happened in 1998. It was Sant who decided to interpret a simple motion of transfer of public land as a confidence motion. Not only, when Mintoff said he'd abstain, in which case the Government would still have survived with the vote of Madame Speaker, Sant decided to up the ante and said he'd interpret it as having lost the Parliamentary majority. Mintoff called his bluff and voted against.
Sant then went to the President and asked him to dissolve the House. He did this because he believe he'd win a snap election. Sant resigned only when it became obvious that the Nationalists won the election. And he did not resign twice.
That is not called "courage"; it's called "pig-headedness".
I do not dispute your version of events. The point is that his administration depended on a troublesome and insubordinate MP and Sant risked his Government to get rid of him. Had you or I been in Sant's shoes we might have acted differently when faced with an insubordinate backbencher. Still Sant's action was courageous.
You say that Mintoff called Sant's bluff but it turned out Sant was not bluffing.
For the record I was elated with Sant's defeat and the end of his abysmal Government. It enabled Malta to join the EU. I had and still have a poor opinion of Sant but what's his is his.
I think that Gonzi is facing a similar situation with JPO. If JPO does not stand down, I would expect Gonzi to fire him from the parliamentary group even though it risks his parliamentary majority. That would take courage.
What do you think Fausto? What should Gonzi do with JPO? If JPO is not fit for a Cabinet post despite his obvious abilities and electoral success, is he fit to be the support of the Government?
What Sant did in 1998 was a cowardly act. You don't give up on governing just because there are some problems. And whatever you do, you never NEVER take on a former leader who enjoyed mass appeal. Major tried to do it with Maggie, Sant did it to Mintoff - they both lost.
Andre. My discussion here is about what is happening now rather than 1998. We could argue ad infinitum about the past. I would disagree with you on what you are saying.
I am drawing an analogy where two Prime Ministers with a one seat majority faced a problem with an MP who constituted that majority. Sant chose one way of dealing with it by putting his Government on the line since he would not be humiliated by Mintoff. Gonzi is facing a similar situation. To my mind JPO will undermine Gonzi's administration for a long time unless he takes strong action which could cost him the majority as it did to Sant.
I don't think JPO will undermine Gonzi's administration. He's young, he might want a political career in the future (if that would be possible), and he definitely wouldn't want to be the person who brought down the PN government.
There are two different PM's - but also two different candidates; Mintoff - the 80-year-old former leader and to many a hero, and JPO - the 40-something backbencher...
Mintoff could afford doing what he did. JPO doesn't. Some say JPO will resign on his own accord... I don't think so.
What I think will happen is that JPO won't be expelled from PN, he'll retain his seat, and he'll remain in relative anonymity for the next five years or so. PN will remain in government, come election time JPO will be forgotten... and history will repeat itself.
Andre you have a point of view. Although by his lies and greed JPO is not 'fit' to be a member of parliament, Gonzi will not do anything about it. That is damaging Gonzi's government in my eyes if not to anybody else.
How can you base good government on people whose personal greed leads them to lie and to the destruction of the environment? If the MLP does not castigate such a Govt then it is not even worthy to sit on the opposition benches.
Malta has a huge problem with unscrupulous people destroying the environment for their greed for money. Do you need any examples? - Ta' Cenc, Ramla l-Hamra, Mistra. I would even add the selfish hunters who would destroy Mnajdra in order to hunt. JPO, the single member on whom the Government depends, wanted to destroy Mistra for personal greed and lied to the nation about it. Come on Andre. What should Gonzi do if he has the courage of his convictions about what is right and what is wrong?
I agree with you - and I think this issue shouldn't be forgotten - however from past events I know that is not what is going to happen.
The decent thing Gonzi could do is to send him packing; but we all know he won't. Too much is at stake for Gonzi - and if Gonzi knew about this BEFORE the election, Gonzi is just as guilty as JPO for lying to the public. Gonzi never had the balls to do anything about corruption in his own cabinet. He even waited for his mandate to be confirmed by the electorate before removing the deadwood from the government. Why should this administration be any different - so much so when he has just 1 seat as a majority?
Fausto menitoned on his blog that PN governed with relative ease between 1987 and 1992 when it had one seat as a majority. What Fausto forgot to mention (and I forgot to add it in the comment) was that PN where MUCH more popular than they are now, and PN had an absolute majority of votes - something they do not enjoy now.
At the end of the day Gonzi is not any other decent man. He's a politician with a political agenda and with political acumen backed by a huge political machine - and with that in mind we all know he won't send him packing - no matter how decent and how appropriate that would be.
I can be overtly political and partisan at this stage - but I think I'd better stop here.
I'm sure Labour will do it's best to expose corruption and wrongdoing - as it should do. However is the Labour Party in a position to adopt such a tactic without a leader at the moment? The party is in disarray and the "new" GonziPN government will take advantage of this.
We've seen the arrogance in the last few days when the cabinet (in a medieval-monarchical sort of way) took a decision (which i agree with) without consulting the newly elected parliament!
Andre you touch on a very important point. Considering that Joe Saliba said that the PN would have lost the election had exposed all he had about JPO three days earlier, how legitimate was the outcome of the election if it turns out that Gonzi knew that JPO was lying and deliberately misled that country with the PNs defense of JPO with the PBS shenanigans, the tears etc?
Considering that Joe Saliba said that the PN would have lost the election had exposed all he had about JPO three days earlier ...
Joe Saliba never said anything of the sort. What was said was that the case cost the Party votes. MaltaToday opinioned that had the contract been presented earlier greater damage would have been done.
Fausto you seem to continue skirting the issue. In an earlier comment I had asked you a number of questions which you avoided. Here they are again.
'What do you think Fausto? What should Gonzi do with JPO? If JPO is not fit for a Cabinet post despite his obvious abilities and electoral success, is he fit to be the support of the Government?'
Oh, it's because I thought the answers would be obvious.
What should Gonzi do with JPO?
Nothing. Certainly not until the police investigations are over. And Gonzi's doing just that.
If JPO is not fit for a Cabinet post despite his obvious abilities and electoral success, is he fit to be the support of the Government?'
Many backbenchers, some of them extremely popular in their constituencies, lived their political lives in the shadows of the House. I cannot understand the support issue (it's probably a case of mangled grammar). I don't know what support Government gives to its backbench MPs.
My turn to ask questions ...
Gonzi never had the balls to do anything about corruption in his own cabinet.
Go ahead ... name names. Gonzi ditched people who could have been seen as political liabilities for various reasons. But you aren't a political liability to the Government just because you have even been remotely tinged corruption.
You are a liability if that would nearly cost you an election. Jesmond Mugliett was not fired, Giovanna Debono and Louis Galea were not dismissed despite them being famous for their very particular parochial practices, Ninu Zammit and Censu Galea... same story.
U ejja Fausto, m'intix gej tghidli li il-cabinet ta Gonzi bla htija kien!
Fausto, I did not make that comment and I guess who wrote it will answer you himself. What I meant by 'the support of the Government' was that given that Gonzi has a one seat majority, his Government depends on the support of JPO.
I cannot figure why we need the police report in this case unless it is going to serve as Sant's 'paraventu'. The guy has lied and continues to lie through his teeth. He shed tears on TV pleading ignorance while he was pestering MEPA for approval. He's shown himself to be as greedy and selfish as those for whom nothing is sacred as long as there is money to be made. I have all the proof I need which I saw with my own eyes and is recorded for posterity on You Tube and other sites.
I don't need the police investigation because whether there was an exchange of money or not is beside the point. He betrayed a very important duty of trust to you and me and every Maltese. He made a fool of everybody. That does not make him fit to be in Parliament let alone the sole vote that keeps Gonzi in Government.
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