PN should have given free vote on gay marriage – Chris Said

The Nationalist Party should have given a free vote on gay marriage, according to PN leadership contender Chris Said. Interviewed by The Malta Independent news editor Rachel Attard on INDEPTH, he said that “on these particular issues, the party should have considered a free vote.”

Last Wednesday, Parliament voted in favour of same-sex marriage. PN MP Edwin Vassallo was the only one who voted against the bill. Vassallo stated that he voted in this way because his conscience did not allow him to approve an ‘immoral law’. Vassallo had also voted against the party line during the second reading.

Asked what he would have done as party leader, the Gozitan MP said: “The main objective of a leader is to do his best to convince and bring together the parliamentary group behind him, but if you have MPs who have a problem with their conscience, then I would give them a free vote. It is important to say that the present PN leader, Simon Busuttil, did his best to bring everyone on board.”

Said emphasised that the beauty of the PN is that it has a rainbow of views and it represents a spectrum of people with different beliefs and values. “I think the party should not punish Vassallo but discuss with him why this situation developed. Edwin has a lot more to give to the party in the coming years.”

Said, who has been in politics for 33 years, confirmed that he would be contesting the September election two weeks ago. He is the second contender to have confirmed his interest in the position being vacated by Simon Busuttil in the wake of the party’s defeat at the 3 June polls.