The Nationalist Party will fight strongly against the introduction of abortion, PN leader Adrian Delia promised on Sunday morning.
This, he said, was not a fight which the party had picked but one which it would fight.
Labour ministers when questioned last week had been non-committal and said a discussion should be held, he observed.
Furthermore, in amendments to the law on domestic violence, the government while rightly improving the rights of victims, was removing a clause, which already existed, protecting the baby in the womb.
Addressing Prime Minister Joseph Muscat directly, Dr Delia questioned the government’s intention on abortion, saying that this was not a matter that should be up for discussion but a basic principle.
“My promise today is that no matter what is said or done, the PN will be speaking for the unborn child, to give this citizen a voice, one that nobody else can give,” the Opposition leader said.
COURT ACTION AGAINST IDENTITY MALTA
Dr Delia also announced that the party will be going to court in the coming days in an attempt to get hold of the list of eligible voters, which Identity Malta has yet to supply despite being obliged, by law, to do so through the Electoral Commission.
Speaking at the St Paul’s Bay PN club, Dr Delia said that despite the PN having filed a judicial protest earlier this month calling on Identity Malta to submit the list, the information was still not forthcoming. In light of this, the PN would in the coming days again be heading to the courts in another attempt to get hold of the information.
By law, Identity Malta, which is responsible for the issuing of identity cards and passports, should hand the Elector Commission information on potential voters every month. The Commission is then tasked with passing on this data to the political parties. According to the PN, this has not happened in over 18 months.
On pensions, Dr Delia said while some might accuse the party of a U-turn, having first agreed to give former MPs a pension even if they served for only one legislature, he would shoulder responsibility if it meant people’s concerns were being addressed.
“The government wanted to pass a law which it said would address anomalies in some MPs’ pensions.
“When I met with people, what they were saying was clear – there are many people who, after a number of years of service to the country are not getting what they deserve, and so pensions should be raised for everyone and not a select few.
“A society that does not help the poor is a poor society itself. We could be accused of a U-turn but that’s not a problem, I’m ready to take responsibility for that as long as the people’s voices are heard,” he said.