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Caruana's rushed plan is an Election gimmick, says Alliance
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A political storm is brewing over proposed parliamentary reform, with the Opposition saying that "it is totally hypocritical for the Government to seek to blame the Opposition for their own failure to move on the question of Parliamentary reform before now."
The GSLP/Liberal Alliance refer to a Select Committee on parliamentary reform which was unanimously voted in Parliament in 2009 with the Opposition voting in favour.
But nothing further has been heard.
According to a statement from the Opposition yesterday "the number and frequency of meetings of this Committee has obviously been the prerogative of the Government and of Mr Caruana who chaired it. In the event there has only been one meeting which took place on 23rd April 2009 and Mr Caruana has not convened any more meetings since."
Further, the Leader of the Opposition, Fabian Picardo, says he has now received the letter from Mr Caruana convening a meeting of Parliament, including proposals on Parliamentary Reform, and will be replying to him this week. Mr Picardo will not disclose the content of that letter until it has been delivered to Mr Caruana. Mr Picardo had regrettably to hear from the media that Mr Caruana had written to him on this subject.
'CARUANA TO BLAME'
An Opposition statement says: "In respect of the public statements made by Mr Caruana, the Opposition consider that it is totally hypocritical for the Government to seek to blame the Opposition for their own failure to move on the question of Parliamentary reform before now. The failure to address this issue lies squarely on the shoulders of Mr Caruana as the Leader of the House. The Government attempts to justify their failure to have done nothing until now by implying that there has been a change of Opposition policy on this question is totally without foundation. There has been no such change. Moreover, if this reform was so important to Mr Caruana, then it was something that he could have done at any time in the last fifteen years and more particularly since the 2007 general election.
What is clear, the GSLP/Liberals add, is that this was obviously not a high priority for the Government since they did not bring a motion to Parliament on the subject until January 2009, over a year after the last election. The motion was then unanimously approved by the House, with the Opposition voting in favour. The terms of reference of the Select Committee then set up, which were set out in the motion, was to meet and consider desirable changes to the processes and procedures and manner in which the House carries out its business, as well as the desirability of amendments to the Standing Orders of the House. The Committee would also consider whether the number of Members of Parliament should be increased, and if so in what manner and on what terms this would happen.
"A Select Committee on Parliamentary Reform was therefore set up with Opposition support as far back as two and a half years ago. As far as the Opposition is aware this Committee is still in existence. It comprised Mr Caruana, Mr Britto, Mr Bossano and Dr Garcia, which is two members from the Government side and two from the Opposition. Mr Caruana now wants to change this to ten members on the Government side and seven from the Opposition, giving the GSD an in-built majority," notes the Opposition.
And add: The number and frequency of meetings of this Committee has obviously been the prerogative of the Government and of Mr Caruana who chaired it. In the event there has only been one meeting which took place on 23rd April 2009 and Mr Caruana has not convened any more meetings since. The Opposition Members expressed the view in this first and only meeting, that since Parliamentary Reform was in the election manifesto of the party in Government, then they would be expected to take the initiative and come forward with specific proposals on what aspects of Parliamentary procedure they proposed should be changed. The Opposition made it clear that given that the issue was not in its manifesto, its members would be reacting to the proposals made by the Government and not making any of our own.
While the Opposition has no intention of disclosing the substance of what was discussed in relation to the terms of the motion, it is nonetheless possible to give an indication of how the work of the Committee was going to develop. It was made clear in the meeting that after a preliminary discussion a working paper would be produced which could then be added to once the consultation process had been widened. It was said at the end of the meeting that it was felt that the Committee’s task would be a six to twelve months job, if anything was going to happen, and that it would possibly meet once a month. "Mr Caruana has called no more meetings, there has been no working paper and there has been no consultation process in the time that has elapsed since April 2009," they say.
ELECTION GIMMICK
It is therefore blatantly an electoral gimmick that with only a few months or even weeks to go to a general election, the Government now decides out of the blue to change the mechanism and rush the process even though they have ignored the subject for more than two years, the Opposition adds. Moreover, regrettably, the Leader of the Opposition Fabian Picardo only found out from the media that Mr Caruana had sent him a letter on this subject. Despite this, Mr Picardo will be replying to Mr Caruana with a desire to positively engage with him in relation to this matter, as on all other issues where there may be the possibility of working together for the benefit of the Community as a whole.
The Opposition remains open to any ideas that Mr Caruana may have as it was when the Select Committee was established.
17-05-11
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