ÿþ<HTML><HEAD> <LINK href="../styles/styles.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet"> </HEAD> <BODY BGCOLOR="#ffffff" topMargin=0> <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=880 border=0> <TBODY> <TR> <TD vAlign=top rowSpan=1 style="width: 175px"> <table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="170"> <tr> <td width="170" heigth="45"> <SPAN class=headline>Links</SPAN><br><br></td> </tr> <tr> <td width="170"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td class="menulink" width="170"> <a href="http://www.pn.org.mt" target="_blank"> www.pn.org.mt</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="menulink" width="170"> <a href="http://www.maltarightnow.com" target="_blank"> www.maltarightnow.com</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="menulink" width="170"> <a href="http://www.gov.mt" target="_blank">www.gov.mt</a></td> </tr> <tr> <td height="17" width="170"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td width="170"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td> </td> </tr> <tr> <td height="10" valign="bottom" width="160"> <img alt="" height="1" src="../images/menu_div.gif" width="120" /></td> </tr> <tr> <td class="small" height="10" valign="bottom" width="160"> <br /> <strong>Residenza :</strong><br /> <br /> 2, Villa Hallelu Yah <br /> Triq tas-Silg <br /> Marsaxlokk <br /> <br /> <strong>Ufficcji :<br /> </strong> <br /> 52, Triq il-Kbira, Zurrieq <br /> 1, Triq id-Dejqa, Valletta<br /> <br /> <br /> <strong>Mob :</strong> 999 888 77 <br /> <br /> <strong>E-mail : </strong><a href="mailto:f.debono@gmail.com"><span style="color: #0000ff"> f.debono@gmail.com</span></a><br /> <br /> </td> </tr> <tr> <td style="height: 10px" valign="bottom" width="160"> </td> </tr> <tr> <td background="../top/orange.gif" heigth="45" valign="bottom" width="160"> <img src="../images/blank.gif" style="width: 40px; height: 35px" /></td> </tr> </table> </TD> <TD width=10 rowSpan=1> &nbsp;<img name="" src="../images/blank.gif" style="width: 50px" /> </TD> <TD vAlign=top bgcolor=white> <table width="100%" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" > <tr> <TD colspan="4" class=programnews vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff style="height: 18px"> </TD> </tr> <tr bgColor=#e5e5e5 style="font-size: 12pt"> <td width=10 style="height: 50px"> </td> <td style="height: 50px"> <SPAN class=headline><span style="color: #000000"> A SOVEREIGN PARLIAMENT HAS THE RIGHT TO REGULATE ITS OWN PROCEDURE&nbsp;<br /> </SPAN> <SPAN class=small>Reuben Fenech :. February 09 :. The Malta Independent</span></SPAN></td> <td width=10 style="height: 50px"> </td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <td colspan="4"> <img id="IMG1" src="par.jpg" style="width: 665px" height="200" /></td> </tr> <tr bgColor=#eeeeee> <td width=10> <img name="" src="../images/blank.gif" style="width: 25px" /></td> <td class=small> <P style="text-align: justify"> <br /> <strong>In yet another heated debate, the House of Representatives yesterday continued debating the government s procedural motion which seeks to alter the business of the House.</strong> <br /> <br /> Still in possession after Tuesday s sitting, Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg initiated his remarks by circulating two amendments to the procedural motion. Dr Borg mentioned that the motion is proposing for voting, when a division is called, to be postponed to Wednesdays. Such a voting, Dr Borg said, should take place within one week. The impression that government is trying to block voting from taking place in the House, is an erroneous one, Dr Borg said. <br /> <br /> Labour Deputy Leader for Parliamentary Affairs Anglu Farrugia quoted from a 1997 speech by the then Nationalist MP Guido de Marco. Prof. de Marco had then stated that a country can not be governed in a state of panic. Dr Farrugia said that Prof. de Marco s speech is like a foresight of what is taking place today. <br /> <br /> Dr Farrugia analysed the English model relating to the procedure adopted in the House of Commons. The Opposition Deputy Leader asked  Are we following the English model or the Gonzi model? Dr Farrugia said that the House of Commons recently introduced the concept of deferred divisions which applies to some situations and not in every situation. <br /> <br /> Dr Farrugia said that the procedural motion will threat the democratic life of every MP. <br /> <br /> What ensued after this remark was an exchange between Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Opposition whip Joe Mizzi relating to the procedure to be adopted when a motion is tabled in the House of Representatives and other standing orders. <br /> <br /> Resuming with his speech, Dr Farrugia said that when one analyses the procedural motion tabled by government, one notes that  there is something wrong with the government . There is a sense of panic amongst the Nationalist MPs and the Nationalist Party, Dr Farrugia added. <br /> <br /> Nationalist MP Franco Debono remarked that he was pleased that in the last few months, there has been cooperation on various issues between the two sides of the House. <br /> <br /> However, Dr Debono said, the Opposition was showing otherwise in the context of the current debate. Dr Debono asked  Where is the new political season promised by the Opposition? <br /> <br />  I can not understand how Opposition MPs mention that government should forget pairing, and then the Opposition MPs start applauding such a remark , Dr Debono asserted. <br /> <br /> He further said that the government is not in a state of panic, as the Opposition was stating. If the government was in a state of panic, then it would have prolonged the presentation of the procedural motion in the House and not tabled it, Dr Debono remarked. <br /> <br /> The Nationalist MP said that the function of the legislative organ of the state is to enact legislation and exercise control over the workings of the executive. Referring to Labour MP Alfred Sant s arguments brought forward during Tuesday s session, the young lawyer said that although Dr Sant quoted Article 65 of the Constitution which refers to the Parliament s power to make laws, the latter should have also quoted Article 67 of the Constitution which states that  ... the House of Representatives may regulate its own procedure . <br /> <br /> Quoting from a report that Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici had presented in Parliament, Dr Debono said that a sovereign parliament has the right to regulate its own procedure. Dr Debono said that as long as the legislative does not impinge on the workings of the executive, Parliament may present such a procedural motion as the one being tabled in the House. <br /> <br /> Dr Debono concluded by appealing for cooperation, as in moments of cooperation the country can keep on moving forward. <br /> <br /> Opposition spokesperson for Youth and Culture Owen Bonnici allotted the first part of his contribution during yesterday s debate commenting on standing orders and the manner in which a standing order may be revoked. Like Dr Farrugia, Dr Bonnici also referred to the procedure of the House of Commons in England. <br /> <br /> Nationalist MP Joseph Falzon spoke about the role of MPs being present in institutions outside Malta. Mr Falzon said that he would have pretended the Opposition to back the motion, if it really wants the country going forward and ensure the presence of Maltese participation in such institutions outside our shores. <br /> <br /> Opposition MP Alfred Sant yesterday said the arguments he brought forward during Tuesday s session were applicable on Tuesday and are more applicable today. <br /> <br /> Right now, Dr Sant pronounced, we are exercising the legislative function. There are two aspects that can not be separated from one another, Dr Sant said. These are the power to deliberate and to discuss in an open manner and the power to decide. Parliament is sovereign, Dr Sant asserted. <br /> <br /> The former leader of the Opposition said that the procedural motion presented by government is  emblematically fascist . <br /> <br /> Dr Sant said that the motion is equivalent to giving a mandate to Cabinet, which is a contradiction of the democratic process. Dr Sant said that the procedural motion like the one tabled in the House does not exist anywhere. <br /> <br /> Nationalist MP Beppe Fenech Adami thanked Dr Sant for the lecture he had just given in the House regarding what is democracy. However, Dr Fenech Adami said that the principles of democracy have to be seen in today s perspective. It is a fact that the Nationalist Party won the last general election and it is thus empowered to govern for a period of five years. The procedural motion is therefore intended, Dr Fenech Adami said, to make sure that the mandate that the Nationalist Party was given, is fulfilled. <br /> <br /> Dr Fenech Adami remains in possession. <br /> <br /> </P> </td> <td width=10> <img name="" src="../images/blank.gif" style="width: 25px" /></td> </tr> <tr bgcolor="#eeeeee"> <td width="10"> </td> <td class="small"> </td> <td width="10"> </td> </tr> </table> </TD> <td align="center" valign="top" width="10"> <IMG height=8 src="../images/a.gif" width=10></td> </TR> </TBODY> </TABLE> </BODY> </HTML>