The PN has broken the golden rule at the European Parliament

Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant said today that the vote against the nomination of Leo Brincat to the European Court of Auditors by the MEPs representing the Nationalist Party has broken the golden rule that Maltese MEPs should not vote against fellow Maltese MEPs at the European Parliament. Dr Sant said that the PPE, the largest political group in the European Parliament, decided to vote against Leo Brincat after the Nationalist Party instructed its MEPs to vote against Leo Brincat.

PN’S GREAT INFAMY

Dr Sant described the decision of the Nationalist Party for its MEPs to vote against the nomination of Leo Brincat as ‘a great infamy’.

“The head of the Nationalist MEP delegation, let it be said, participated in the organization for Leo of meetings with the European Popular Party. Whether one wants to or not, one is led to the conclusion that more than cries and hidden whispers had been going on. Up to now, within the European Parliament, the arrangement has always been observed by both sides to maintain support for nominations involving Maltese individuals, as is proper. Other delegations do the same, in a manifestation of national unity. Given our minute size, the split that has been put on display shows us in the worst possible light.”
Dr Sant said that the truth is that the PN in Opposition lacks strong issues, except one, regarding the Panama papers. “It can flog it to death for as much as it likes in Malta. But pushing it into a European forum in this unscrupulous way simply amounts to a highly geared political opportunism. It undermines the national interest. It is inviting retaliation of the type – an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.”

EPP HYPOCRITES
Dr Sant described the decision by the EPP group in the European Parliament to vote against Brincat’s nomination as ‘a blatant example of hypocrisy’. During the last elections to the European Parliament, the EPP candidate for the presidency of the European Commission was Jean Claude Juncker, ex-Prime Minister and ex-Finance Minister of Luxembourg. Now he leads the European Commission while remaining part of the EPP political “family”.
“It was during Juncker’s stint as finance minister of his country that all the suspicious arrangements were made, by which multinational companies got off paying their taxes, as revealed by the Luxleaks scandal. Now it is really strange that in no way did the EPP show it had a problem about the matteror that it felt scandalised by the revelations. In fact, it has stonewalled all motions in the EP which go in the direction of a censure on Juncker’s record. There can be no comparison between the facts regarding the Panama papers scandal (in which he personally had no mention) as attached to Leo Brincat’s nomination, and the very serious facts that are attached to Juncker.” emphasised Dr Sant.
BUSUTTIL’S LACK OF COHERENCE
The Head of the Labour Delegation at the European Parliament said that the excuse brought forward by the Nationalist Opposition to negative Brincat’s nomination was that he had voted in favour of a motion in the Maltese Parliament dealing with the controversy over the Panama papers.
“It was a vote of confidence, regulated by the three line whip procedure. In our parliamentary system, which is clamped between two parties, both sides have a bitter experience of what happens when a three line whip on a vote of confidence is disobeyed. To remain coherent with the excuse he adopted, the Opposition Leader must now recognize that the members of his party who voted against the Gonzi administration on votes of confidence were exercising their discretion as to what is right or wrong. Even if with their position, they embarrassed their government and eventually brought it down, he should welcome them back in the PN fold with open arms, while recognizing their right if they get the opportunity, and the call arises in future, to repeat what they did in the past.” said Dr Sant.

Maltese Version – Il-PN kiser ir-regola tad-deheb fil-Parlament Ewropew

Alfred Sant, Kap tad-Delegazzjoni Laburista fil-Parlament Ewropew qal illum li l-vot tal-Membri Parlamentari Ewropej tal-Partit Nazzjonalista kontra Leo Brincat hija ġrajja tal-mistħija fejn inkisret regola tad-deheb fil-Parlament Ewropew : dik li Maltin ma jivvotawx kontra Maltin. Dr Sant qal li l-voti kontra Brincat inqalbu wara li l-PPE, l-akbar grupp politiku fil-Parlament iddeċieda li jivvota kontra n-nomina. ‘Il-PPE għamel hekk wara li l-PN qal lid-deputati tiegħu fil-Parlament Ewropew biex jivvotaw kontra Leo Brincat. Dan sar fuq skuża tal-biki. Matul is-smigħ tiegħu fil-Parlament, Leo Brincat qatt ma ġie kkritikat fuq il-kompetenza, l-esperjenza jew l-integrità tiegħu.” saħaq Alfred Sant.

Dr Sant qal li l-ħidma ta’ din il-ġimgħa fil-plenarja tal-Parlament Ewropew fi Strasburgu kienet imgħarrqa bil-vot li ittieħed fil-plenarja biex jinqaleb il-ġudizzju favorevoli dwar in-nomina ta’ Leo Brincat għall-Qorti Ewropea tal-Awdituri li kienet ħadet il-kummissjoni tal-Parlament dwar il-kontroll tal-baġit.

VILTA` KBIRA MILL-PN

Dr Sant qal li l-vot tal-PN kontra Leo Brincat kien vilta` kbira. “Il-kap tad-deputati Nazzjonalisti fil-Parlament Ewropew, alla jbierek, ħa sehem fl-organizzazzjoni ta’ laqgħat ma’ deputati tal-Partit tal-Popolari Ewropej favur Leo Brincat. Irid jew ma jridx, bilfors wieħed ikollu jikkonkludi li mhux sefsif fil-widnejn biss kien għaddej.”

Dr Sant qal li sa issa, fil-Parlament Ewropew dejjem inżamm l-arranġament, kif għandu jkun, li f’nomini li jinvolvu persuna Maltija, insostnulha l-appoġġ. Delegazzjonijiet oħra jagħmlu l-istess; juru għaqda nazzjonali. Fiċ-ċokon tagħna, firda bħal din turina fl-agħar dawl.
“Il-verità hi li l-PN fl-Oppożizzjoni jonqsulu “issues” qawwija, ħlief waħda, tal-karti tal-Panama. Jużaha kemm irid f’Malta. Li jimbuttaha kif għamel f’forum Ewropew mhu xejn ħlief opportuniżmu politiku tal-aqwa kwalità. Imur kontra l-interess nazzjonali. Jistieden ir-reazzjoni ta’ għajn għal għajn u sinna għal sinna.”
PPE IPOKRITI
Dr Sant qal ir-raġuni li semma il-PPE biex jivvota kontra n-nomina ta’ Leo Brincat hija xempju ta’ ipokresija aktar lampanti. Sostna li ma hemm l-ebda paragun bejn il-fatti dwar Leo Brincat, li personalment ma kellu xejn x’jaqsam mal-karti tal-Panama, u l-fatti gravissimi dwar Juncker.
“Fl-aħħar elezzjoni għall-Parlament Ewropew, il-kandidat tal-PPE għall-presidenza tal-Kummissjoni Ewropea kien Jean Claude Juncker, eks-Prim Ministru u eks-Ministru tal-Finanzi tal-Lussemburgu. Issa jmexxi l-Kummissjoni Ewropea imma għadu parti mill-“familja” politika tal-PPE. Kien fi żmien Juncker bħala ministru tal-finanzi ta’ pajjiżu li saru l-arranġamenti skabrużi biex il-kumpaniji l-kbar jevitaw it-taxxi, illum magħrufa mill-iskandlu tal-Luxleaks. Issa hi ħaġa stramba għall-aħħar li bl-ebda mod il-PPE ma wera li kellu xi problema dwar hekk jew li skandalizza ruħu. Iġġieled bil-kbir kontra kwalunkwe mozzjoni fil-Parlament Ewropew li tissanzjona lil Juncker.” Dr Sant qal li l-iskuża tal-Oppożizzjoni Nazzjonalista biex jivvotaw kontra n-nomina ta’ Brincat kienet li dan ivvota favur mozzjoni fil-Parlament Malti li ttrattat il-kwistjoni tal-karti tal-Panama. “Kienet mozzjoni ta’ fiduċja, regolata bil-proċedura tat-three line whip. Fis-sistema parlamentari tagħna inserrata bejn żewġ partiti, it-tnejn għandhom esperjenza qarsa ta’ x’jiġri meta three line whip tinkiser f’mozzjoni ta’ fiduċja.”
BUSUTTIL INKOERENTI
Dr Sant qal li biex ikun koerenti mal-iskuża li ġab, il-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni issa jrid jirrikonoxxi lill-membri tal-partit tiegħu li vvotaw kontra l-gvern ta’ Dottor Gonzi kienu qed jeżerċitaw id-diskrezjoni tagħhom dwar it-tajjeb u l-ħażin. Anke jekk bl-aġir tagħhom fixklu u fl-aħħar waqqgħu lil dak il-gvern, għandu jilqagħhom lura fil-PN b’dirgħajh miftuħa. Għandu jirrikonoxxilhom id-dritt li jekk tiġihom l-opportunità u s-sejħa fil-futur, jirrepetu dak li għamlu fl-imgħoddi.