Editorial

In the time of the socialist government under Mr Mintoff, much was made by the socialists of their leader's expertise in extracting from whoever he was negotiating with the best possible financial deal for the island.

There is of course nothing wrong in getting financial help at a time when this is needed most, but handouts can also have the psychological effect of over-relying on outside assistance.

This has not happened to us. Indeed, had we relied on outside financial assistance for development, the rate of progress would not have been as fast as that we have experienced since the island began diversifying its economy from one based on defence earnings to one relying on tourism and industry for growth. And yet the 'handout' mentality is still part and parcel of our political psyche, as it has been vividly shown so far in the issue over EU membership.

The Nationalists made a mistake when they fell into this trap and promised that Malta would qualify for many millions of liri in aid - going so far as to give staggering amounts - if it were to become a member.

However much this is denied now, the perception that membership equals a heavy allocation of financial aid, directly or indirectly instilled into the minds of the people at the time, still holds.

The truth though is that, however much aid is important to help us move ahead as members of the new European community, it is only part of the equation. Reducing the value and significance of membership to how much we can extract from the Union in terms of euros is wrong as the overall benefits of membership are much wider.

Malta as an EU member will be regarded as part of the new Europe, part of a giant trading bloc worth trading with. Even though we would still retain our identity, we will be able to share in the growth of this new Europe and stand to benefit more than if we were to remain on the periphery with, as a link, a mere partnership of whatever form Labour has in mind.

The sheer poverty of Labour's idea next to membership is so pronounced that it is altogether incredible how it can be sold as an alternative at all. And yet, feeding on misinformation and fear, Labour manages to plod on, promoting the partnership idea as the ideal solution for Malta today.

Make no mistake about it, Labour will base most of its campaign on the quantum of financial aid allocated to Malta. It has, quite brazenly, already called the package shameful and anti-national!

Labour, with nothing to show for its rhetoric but a nebulous idea, will also underpin its campaign on fear, the fear that the Sicilians will come over to take our jobs, the fear that foreigners will come over to buy Maltese property left, right and centre, and the fear that, with membership we will lose our identity and be administered from Brussels.

Of course the majority of the people would not be fooled by Labour's scaremongering. Surveys show that more and more people are getting convinced that the island will be better off in the European Union than outside. But there is still quite a big segment of the people who are as yet unconvinced. It is this segment that has to be targeted now.