Sant singles out electoral commission, PBS for criticism

Opposition leader Alfred Sant yesterday singled out the Electoral Commission and Public Broadcasting Services when he expounded on the comment he made last week on the importance of upholding the country's constitutional democracy.

During a call on the President last Wednesday to exchange New Year greetings, Dr Sant called on constitutional institutions to ensure that democracy was respected according to constitutional principles.

Speaking yesterday during a political conference at the Zebbug Labour Party club, Dr Sant reiterated that this year the electorate would be asked to take a number of important decisions and it was vital that these decisions were taken according to constitutional democracy.

First to spring to mind, in this context, he said, were the Electoral Commission, today made up of "government stooges", and Public Broadcasting Services.

The Labour Party would be keeping its eyes wide open in case the Electoral Commission tried to trip the MLP, he said.

He said PBS was manipulating public opinion against the policies of the MLP through machinations at the PBS newsroom and through programmes that PBS farmed out, particularly to the company Where's Everybody.

"This is leading to a serious violation of the constitution," Dr Sant said.

If the prime minister gave a Nelson's eye to what was going on at PBS, he would be showing that he did not believe that the will of the people should be respected, and the Labour Party would take steps to safeguard democracy, Dr Sant warned.

Referring to what the prime minister said on Saturday, that he (Dr Fenech Adami) would first have to see what the Labour Party wanted before setting a date for the EU referendum, Dr Sant said the MLP had already made its intention amply clear when it had urged Dr Fenech Adami to call a general election as early as possible.

"The prime minister is missing the bus, they call bus xarabank, don't they? Dr Sant said with double entendre on the programme Xarabank by Where's Everybody.

He said the MLP was far from being against the European Union, but it favoured partnership rather than membership because partnership suited Malta better in the circumstances. The MLP would employ the same concept of partnership with other countries.

"The government is imposing new levies on products from the US, Australia and Russia and visas on such countries as Egypt and Turkey.

"Are these measures not blocking roads to opportunities? Partnership on the other hand would keep the doors open for new opportunities," he said.

Dr Sant claimed that the government did not know what Malta's position would be after the first three years of EU membership. Malta, he said, would end up as a net contributor to the EU.

The government was saying that after the first three years, Malta would be able to say 'no' to decisions by the EU.

"How would Malta be able to say 'no' and stop decisions by the EU member states?" he asked.

For Malta, EU membership would mean a scale up of the national debt or more taxes or both. The price of property would shoot up with the result that workers would call for a rise in wages that would in turn push up products and services.

"It is one thing being on board the boat and another thing hanging to the side of the boat with one's head below the water line," he said.

During the party's general conference this month, the Labour Party would have to take decisions on a number of issues, including whether to keep, amend or remove VAT and what to replace it with if the tax was removed.

In order to spread its message, Dr Sant said the MLP will embark on a series of mass meetings, with the first called for January 19 at Marsa, "not only to show the strength of the party but also to show the strength of the people".