CNI chairman describes EU as "Frankenstein monster"

The Campaign for National Independence believes that a yes vote in the referendum on European Union accession should not be accepted by the government or the EU unless there is an absolute majority of votes.

This means, according to CNI, that for the referendum to be considered valid, more than 50 per cent of the eligible voters must vote yes.

CNI is also arguing that abstentions and invalidated votes should be lumped with the no category.

Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, who is particularly well known for his anti-EU membership views ("Malta should not join the EU because there is Aids in Europe," he once famously said) told a news conference launching the next stage of CNI's anti-EU membership strategy:

"Our country is at war with a Frankenstein monster (the EU) which is devouring more and more countries."

CNI announced it was going to gear up to ensure the country did not join the EU, which it believes would spell doom for Malta.

Although it was pointed out to Dr Mifsud Bonnici that European general elections were determined by simple, rather than absolute, majorities, he insisted the two issues were quite separate.

He said the conditions imposed so far on the country by the EU did not safeguard four very important factors.

The first was that it did not ensure peace at a time when relations between the western and Muslim worlds were fragile.

When it was pointed out that on a recent visit, the Arab League's general secretary, Amre Moussa had described Malta's EU membership bid as a positive development, Dr Mifsud Bonnici promptly replied that "if he (Mr Moussa) wants, he can join the EU himself".

"During past meetings, all Arab countries clearly declared that they did not agree with the EU's policies," Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.

Also, EU negotiations had not given any guarantees that more work would be generated in Malta or that the country's "financial crisis" would be settled.

On the contrary, the removal of levies and the granting of new subsidies to certain sectors would further exacerbate the country's debt, he said.

Finally, he said, membership would erode the island's Christian beliefs, as evidenced by the recent European Parliament recommendation that abortion should be legalised in member countries.

He lashed out at the EU on several fronts and claimed the EU was setting up an army "to fight and not to stage parades".

He compared the EU to a monster because, he claimed, it was spending billions on propaganda to influence opinion makers, intellectuals and the media in each of the applicant countries.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said CNI had so far exposed the defects and shortcomings of the EU.

In the coming weeks, CNI would be holding public meetings to reveal all the negative aspects of the government's negotiations with the EU, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said.

He said the referendum was just one of many battles the Maltese had to fight and even if the electorate gave the thumbs up in a referendum he insisted it would not be a permanent decision.

He appealed to Nationalist Party supporters who valued the country's independence and Labour Party supporters who cared for the island's freedom to come out in the open and declare that they would either abstain or vote no in the referendum.

Asked whether CNI agreed with the holding of a referendum, Dr Mifsud Bonnici said the tool used to decide the EU issue was not important.

He said successive surveys carried out, including ones commissioned by CNI, had shown that "the majority" were against membership.