Of course the government should have prepared and presented the Budget
I am sick and tired of hearing the rubbish line that the government was wrong to bring the Budget before parliament when it knows that Franco Debono and Labour plan to vote against it.
This is the line being spread and fed by Debono himself and by, of course, Labour and its fellow-travellers.
Their reasons are different. Debono would much have preferred that there be no Budget, because he doesn’t want to be held in contempt as the man who brought down the government, and what’s more by voting against something good: Budget measures people have welcomed.
He didn’t want a Budget because he doesn’t want to vote on it.
And Labour would rather an election were called yesterday.
But that line is wrong and betrays corrupt or confused reasoning.
The maxim to adopt in these situations, and in most others, is: DO YOUR DUTY AND LET OTHERS DO THEIR WORST.
It is the government’s duty to prepare a Budget for the year ahead and present it to parliament at the appointed hour, regardless of how individuals or the Opposition plan to vote.
Those individuals and the Opposition have their own, separate and quite distinct, duty to vote one way or the other.
The government’s duty and obligation to bring the Budget before parliament are not affected or impinged upon by that quite separate and distinct duty of members of parliament to consider its contents closely and vote according to whether they approve of them (not of the people presenting them) or not.
Perhaps this clears up the matter somewhat.
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COLA should be given irrespective of whether budget is approved – GWU
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121207/local/cola-gwu.448621
Not yet in Government and GWU with the nghamlu l-nridu attitude like the 70’s and 80’s ghala Mintoff Style.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121207/local/gdp-up-1-9-in-real-terms.448620
vs
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-12-07/bundesbank-slashes-2013-german-growth-forecast-to-0-4-on.html
Top of the class, really…let’s risk all this for 50 euro cheaper electricity bills and minimum wage single earners not paying 50 euro A YEAR in income tax, and for change’s sake
I fully agree. The government had done its duty when presenting the budget.
More so now that there seems to be a consensus that it is a very good budget which all sides have accepted and committed to implement.
These facts together with the clear awareness by all sides that disapproval may have a very worrying negative effect on the nation’s economy put bigger responsibilities on the people’s representatives in Parliament and oblige each of them to see that the budget is approved.
So every cast in the opposite direction would be most irresponsible and the perpetrator would not be worthy of the our trust at the next general election.
A perfect analysis of the present situation, I am sure many agree with your line of thinking.
Pity this comment cannot be translated into Maltese so everyone can understand it clearly.
I did try to reason with a Labour friend that I cannot for the life of me understand why Labour should vote against the budget since they think that the budget measures are OK.
He said that in the past the Opposition of the time always voted against.
I told him that in this case it does not make sense to me since the PL declared the budget measures are good.
So what is stopping the PL to do what is right and vote in favour of the budget.
They can always present a vote of no confidence in government at a later stage.
Of course, it was useless reasoning with him and their mind is set in that direction.
As for Franco Debono, the sooner he is relegated to oblivion the better for all of us.
…….present a motion of no confidence…….
No, not in my case it doesn’t. (The triple negative is intentional by the way).
Well said.
Franco Debono has now gone silent and has removed all his blog-posts since November 29.
This is the time for him to meditate and understand the consequences to the country and to the people if he votes capriciously against the Budget.
The mistake was tying the budget to the vote of no confidence. If the vote of no confidence had been dealt with first then if that went as expected an election would have been called. To tie the two items together is another act of stupidity on the part of Gonzi.
[Daphne – HE didn’t tie the two together, but only pointed it out for those who don’t know. Perhaps it is you who are the stupid one here, in not knowing that a budget vote is always a confidence vote, for the simple reason that a government which doesn’t get its finances approved for the year ahead simply cannot function. The defeat of the government’s budget is the defeat of the government. You should know that. Presumably, you have been around longer than I have. I would concentrate a little less on the antics of Mrs A Vella and the topless theatre and a little more on matters such as this.]
Of course the government should have prepared and presented the Budget. But, at the same time, no skilled workman or professional would embark on a project if there is an obstacle in his way which would seriously jeopardise the success of his efforts.
He would first eliminate the obstacle, and proceed only then.
Therefore Dr Gonzi should first have eliminated the obstacle he has in parliament by referring back to the people and ask for a new majority. He could have done this sometime before the summer, or just after it, giving him then plenty of time to present a budget in October, as was the case in previous years.
It’s nonsense to say, at least in a Western democracy, that the PN had won the 2008 elections and so has a “right” to govern for 5 years. The electorate does not elect a government, but a parliament.
There is no clear majority in parliament now, and the Prime Minister has known this for a year. His duty as PM is to secure a majority in parliament. If he cannot succeed in doing that, there is only one solution.
How could the government or its Prime Minister dissolve Parliament before the termination of its tenure without being challenged and defeated or when the country is doing well without insurmountable problems as is happening in many other European countries?
Were the Prime Minister to do as you said, he would have been irresponsible because he would have thrown the country into oblivion because the opposition was never prepared to govern. Of course it is prepared to take power but not to govern.
Power and good governance are two very different things, my friend.
It may sound arrogant, but the present administration’s ability to see its term through was in the country’s best interest. Allowing young Joseph to take over the the reigns prematurely, in the worst economic climate of all time, would have spelt total disaster.
After the Budget vote, next Monday, who would want to be in Franco’s shoes?
Will the crowd outside Parliament, cheer him or boo him?
Current interest rates on Joseph Muscat’s “Save for Business” bank accounts:
Personal interest 100%
National interest 0%
Those who understand what you are saying don’t need telling and those who need telling won’t understand anyway.
It clears up the matter for common sense people, Daphne. Unfortunately, at least half the population, at present, appears to be devoid of it.
Joseph just doesn’t have it in him to take a decision. If he’s so wary of what the Maltese don’t tolerate, he should know what we’ll think of his cynical move. No amount of wise cracks will endear him to anyone who’s in a limbo. Which they are.
This is not 1997, no mass exodus to the PN after months of lectures related to which packet of biscuits will be taxed and why.
Backdated measures will only add to the chaos, and then, it’s not a given that his ministers will oblige to his pandering. Nothing so dissimilar to those early days in 1996 then. Hilarious.
Going by what was said by their Chris Cilia on Musumeci’s this week, no other tax band was adjusted these four years, and, even worse, it was implied that only those whose income is around 60,000 Euro will benefit.
Why should I believe Muscat, if what his party says on TV is in stark contrast? Where’s the coherent talk?
Franco is in Rome.I saw him going on the plane. Maybe he is going to remain there until after the 10th.
Perhaps he went to see whether the Pope’s thing on the computer is better or worse than his blog, so that he could complain to “You know who” and ask HIM to stop the Pope – at once.
I know its out of topic but I cannot stand the people who write on the timesofmalta comments and on Franco Debono’s blog and proclaim themselves to be EX-PN or floater, by which what they really mean is ‘switcher’.
That is a load of crap and 99% of them are either pure always have been Laburisti or else they are like Eddie Privitera.
There is nothing I love more than seeing the miserable MLP supporters after a PN win and nothing I hate more than seeing MLP supporters waving their disgusting flag.
I don’t expect you will print my comment but I just had to put my thoughts right now into writing. I already feel a little better.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121207/local/gdp-up-1-9-in-real-terms.448620
http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/budget2013/Chamber-economic-well-being-must-prevail-over-political-differences-20121207
GonziPN propaganda no doubt.
As opposed to PL propaganda ?
Governments real duty was to call a vote of confidence in parliament after the summer recess and test whether it had a majority then before stretching it till this stage.
We have known since summer we have a real crisis in parliament and yet the Prime Minister chose to ignore this situation. I am very sorry to say that this is the height of irresponsibility.
Please don’t tell me Franco is irresponsible. Franco Debono is an ego centric baby without an inch of proper sense in his head. On the other hand I would have thought our Prime Minister to be more responsible and take the bull by the horns and test his majority in parliament in September/October.
Therefore, at this stage, you are incorrect to state government did its duty to present the budget. Government HAD THE DUTY to test it majority in parliament following the comments made by Franco Debono in parliament.
Hindsight is a wondrous thing, eh?
In all fairness though, the party in opposition always votes against the budget prepared by the party in government. It would be very unusual if the budget goes through with a yes vote from the opposition benches. At least this is my understanding of our Westminister style representative democracy.
Yes but MUSCAT agreed and in fact stated that he would keep the “good” points of the budget, i.e. he would keep them all because the budget was/is a GOOD one?
Franco Debono was so keen to bring down the government.
Why is he now complaining because the government has given him the opportunity to do so?
Tghid x’ se jaghmel Dr Debono?
Anyone knows who the notaries involved in this Laylay-related case are?
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121207/local/-Are-they-just-going-to-demolish-our-homes-.448568
Daphne.I don’t agree when they say that government was wrong to present the budget when it was clear that it had no chance of being approved.
Gonzi was not wrong, he was malicious.
He wants to put the opposition in a bad light by making it shoulder the blame for us for not being able to benefit from the good measures contemplated in the budget.
But the man in the street has seen through this Machiavellian move.
If the opposition wants to checkmate Gonzi, they should abstain or vote for the budget, and watch him having to admit that for the P.L the well being of the country comes first.
[Daphne – I agree with you on the last bit, but not with the contorted reasoning leading up to it. The government was right to present the budget. The Opposition would be right to vote for it. By showing that it has the national interest at heart, and with the PM committed to dissolving parliament anyway as the five years are more or less up, Labour only stood to gain by behaving with maturity and garnering more credibility. But there you go.]
Best performing economy in Europe. Hekk, hu go fik, Eddy.
Dan hu possibli biss taht Gvern Nazzjonalista. Kemm kien jixtieq Mintoff li kien hemm dax-xoghol kollu taht is-socjalisti.
The Labour Party is not fit for purpose.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121207/local/gdp-up-1-9-in-real-terms.448620
Franco Debono’s political career is coming to an end and with it we risk suffering five whole years of Labour incompetence and lack of economic vision.
The low income earners will suffer most since their quality of life will deteriorate, whilst a good size of current middle income earners will face great uncertainty, if we have people not capable enough to deal and negotiate at European level.
My vote was never in doubt – PN it is – but many are still contemplating while others want to change parties but no particular good reason for that.
A vote is a right and duty: the right to express yourself and your duty towards the country, so please use it wisely.
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20121208/local/PN-calls-on-judge-to-resign.448665
The article also has reference to the previous request for Judge Farrugia Sacco to resign from the MOC, which he obviously ignored
Years ago, Austin Gatt had demanded that Tonio Mizzi and Farrugia Sacco resign from the organizations that they were involved in.
They chose to ignore the demand. I remember watching Marlene Mizzi at the time, whining about the injustice of such a demand on Super One TV.
THIS government has the duty to govern. This duty does not end in February or March 2013. We must brace together to ensure that those rif rafs remain in their stables.
Those rif rafs remain in their stables, spoken like a true blue.
.
How do you reconcile “doing one’s duty” and “respect to Parliament” with the “non convening of Parliamentary sittings for months on end, extended Parliamentary holidays and what not”?
I’ve tried all sorts of mental contortions to reconcile the two, and still the discrepancy persists.
Can you please come to my aid?
[Daphne – Parliament is always in recess in the summer. Didn’t you know? And when it is not, it usually means serious trouble, like the summer of 1998.]