Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/296073
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 16 APRIL 2014 News 2 Cabinet to discuss drug decriminalisation PAGE 1 But the issue was not only about the rights of the LGBTI com- munity or of any other minority: "It's about defining what society we want to live in. The country has now seen a government that is not afraid of implementing what it believes in. A country that gives equal opportunities. A liberal and progressive society becoming Eu- ropean in its true sense." Muscat said that 10 years down the line, Simon Busuttil had "failed the crucial test of Europeanism". He said that his government was read to "sacrifice itself politically" to spark a mental in society. Ac- cording to the Opposition, 80% of the Maltese were against adoptions by gay couples. But at the same time, Muscat has been accused of "defending those rights that win him votes". On his part, Muscat says the number of people who support equality in its entirety "is underestimated". Amendments to the bill put for- ward by the Opposition were not approved by the government. The reason to this, Muscat said, was that the proposals "diminished equality". "We are not ready to compromise on what we promised. The position taken yesterday has exposed Simon Busuttil's political weakness. Like Pontius Pilatus, he has washed his hands off the matter; if there had been a free vote, the opposition would have been divided in three." Insisting that the PN was in a "miserable position", Muscat said that Lawrence Gonzi – Busuttil's predecessor – could be more re- spected politically. "We could move agreed on the divorce issue, but at least everyone knew where he stood. He voted against and allowed his parliamen- tary group a free vote. His decision was reasoned out and that enjoys political respectability." The Opposition has also argued that gay adoptions was never in- cluded in the PL's electoral mani- festo. But Muscat rejects the sug- gestion that the issue was included by stealth. "My position on the matter was publicly expressed and reported in the media in January 2013. This is about fighting prejudice, the hard- est thing to do." A single gay person has been al- lowed to adopt for years. The adop- tion by gay couples will now see both prospective adoptive parents being scrutinized and interviewed by a board of professionals and child experts. "Do we want a hypocritical sys- tem where an individual goes on his or her own pretending to be single when in reality they would be in a relationship?" Playing a voice clip recorded two years ago, Civil liberties minister Helena Dalli said PN Secretary General Chris Said - then minis- ter - had declared that gay couples "would not be recognised as a fam- ily" by the then government. "Contrary to what the Oppo- sition has claimed, we have not rushed the issue... this discrimina- tion should have ended years ago. Every person should freely enjoy their rights, duties, obligations and safeguards. With a sense of sorrow I say that these people have lived in discrimination for years. "I am serene over this law be- cause the country has taken a step it should have taken long ago." PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD From left: Helena Dalli, Joseph Muscat and Lydia Abela 1,241 patients on stretchers in two- month period REPLYING to a Parliamentary Question by opposition MP Clau- dio Grech, health minister Konrad Mizzi revealed that up to 1,241 patients were kept on a stretcher at Mater Dei Hospital in the two- month period between December and January. The peak was reached at the height of the yearly influx of patients suf- fering from influenza with up to 49 patients waiting for treatment on a stretcher on 14 January. In a separate question tabled by Grech, the minister said that 110 patients were sent for treatment in foreign hospitals during the same period. Between December 2013 and January 2014, 28 patients received treatment at the Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, a global centre of excellence in child health- care. The majority of patients were sent to Italian and British hospitals, in- cluding 22 patients who received treatment at Moorfields Eye Hos- pital, which is also situated in the English capital. EU defence ministers: Malta says security of seas 'priority for island state' THE Foreign Affairs Council meet- ing continued yesterday in its de- fence formation in Luxembourg, bringing together defence ministers and EU representatives of member states. The proceedings started with a ,inisterial-level meeting of the Steering Board of the European De- fence Agency (EDA) in the margins of the Council. Catherine Ashton, High Repre- sentative of the EU on Foreign and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission, chaired the meeting during which member states were updated on the progress regarding the implementa- tion of the European Council Con- clusions on security and defence of 19 December 2013. This was followed by the Coun- cil meeting which debated the EU Maritime Security Strategy, Ukraine and the Central African Republic. During the meeting, Malta in- tervened to state its position on the draft EU Maritime Security Strat- egy, affirming that safety and secu- rity of the seas was a priority for an island state. "Malta underscored that as an is- land state, its economy, livelihood and even the lives of its people are interlinked with the sea. In this re- gard Malta supported protection against maritime threats and risks across the waters surrounding the EU," the home affairs ministry said. "Malta also supported the poten- tial of the strategy to enhance co- operation across the various sectors and the safeguard of the EU's stra- tegic maritime interests while un- derlining the importance that the competences of Member States are fully respected." Malta joined other member states in highlighting the importance of national sovereignty and pointed out that the strategy should com- plement and not duplicate existing structures and efforts within the current international legal frame- work. Malta also highlighted the need of the EU strengthening relations with Third Countries as a very im- portant aspect given the situation in the Mediterranean region. The Council was also briefed on the state of play regarding the EU military operation in the Central African Republic (EUFOR CAR). It also followed up the discussion held the previous day by Ministers of Foreign Affairs on Ukraine. Malta was represented at this meeting by Marlene Bonnici, Am- bassador and Permanent Repre- sentative of Malta to the EU. Catherine Ashton