Discipline within the parliamentary groups is essential and one cannot have a situation where members do not toe the line except on serious matters of principle, according to President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami.

“Members of the parliamentary group should toe the party line on matters of policy. This is seriousness. Discipline is about planning and heading in a direction. One cannot have everyone going in different directions but all have to follow the same direction and decision, often taken in a collective manner,” he said.

Speaking on the morning news television programme TVAM, Dr Fenech Adami, a former Prime Minister and Nationalist Party leader, said there was nothing wrong with criticism but there were limits to criticism. One could not miss the wood for the trees, he said.

His comments come after the Nationalist Party saw former Justice Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici and Malta’s EU envoy Richard Cachia Caruana being forced to resign after the opposition was supported by government MPs.

Franco Debono supported the opposition on the vote of no confidence in Dr Mifsud Bonnici while Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando voted with the opposition in the motion censuring Mr Cachia Caruana. A third MP, former Transport Minister Jesmond Mugliett, abstained in the latter motion.

When asked, Dr Fenech Adami said he did not wish to comment on whether dissenting MPs should be dismissed from the party. He said, however, that it was the government’s duty to govern to the end of the legislature in the national interest. One, therefore, expected everyone to toe the line.

Mr Cachia Caruana was Dr Fenech Adami’s adviser for several years. He spoke about how they disagreed on certain issues and how he sometimes did not heed Mr Cachia Caruana’s advice.

“One may disagree with Richard Cachia Caruana on a thousand things, but he is a very capable man, intelligent and always loyal,” Dr Fenech Adami said.