Sant says MLP will respect general election result

Labour leader Alfred Sant yesterday warned the Electoral Commission properly to carry out its duties relating to the forthcoming general election.

He also called on the prime minister and the Nationalist Party and on "certain opinion leaders" to respect the general election result. The Labour Party believes that democracy has to be respected in the interest of a stable country.

The MLP wants a clean and calm election and the MLP will respect the general election result, he said, not explaining why he felt it necessary to make the declaration.

But it raised in many people's minds a somewhat similar declaration by then prime minister Dom Mintoff, who in the 1981 election campaign said he would not govern if he did not get a majority. In fact Mr Mintoff held on to power with a minority of votes, but a majority of seats in parliament.

Speaking to a packed theatre at the MLP headquarters in Hamrun during a rally which was held instead of the planned mass meeting at the Granaries in Floriana, put off because of yesterday's weather, Dr Sant deplored what he called provocation that would give rise to a new type of hatred.

The aim of the Labour Party was to give everyone the chance to decide what is the best interest of the country. Everyone "should be relaxed", a catch phrase that is often repeated in the Labour leader's speeches and which is catching on at the party grassroots level.

"We do not need any hatred. Where others sow division and lies we will reply with compassion and peace," Dr Sant said.

The Labour leader called on all the creative forces in the country to come out and join forces with the MLP. The Labour Party, he said, honours the promises it makes.

Those who are not against the Labour Party are for the Labour Party, he added.

"We call on all those of good will to join us. We are a party of principles and not a party dead set on power because if we were we would not have called an election in 1998.

"The Labour Party is prepared to lead the country towards a better future where you would be considered first, for the good of your family, and for the good of your community," he said.

Dr Sant launched a scathing attack on the editors of The Times and The Sunday Times because the two editors were expressing surprise at Labour's claim that the 'partnership' option had won in the referendum.

Quoting from Malta Taghna (the newspaper then published by the Nationalist Party) of 1956, Dr Sant said that the PN had then argued that only 44 per cent of all registered votes had said yes even though 77 per cent of the valid votes were in favour of integration with Britain.

Quoted by The Times of Malta, Dr Gorg Borg Olivier had stated that the integration referendum result was an expression of lack of trust on integration with Britain.

Following the result of the Independence referendum when 54 per cent of the valid votes were in favour of independence, The Times of Malta had then claimed that since this represented only 40 per cent of the registered votes, the government had failed to poll 50 per cent of the total vote.

This is the same argument that the Labour Party was bringing forward regarding the March 8 EU consultative referendum.

"What was a valid argument in 1956 and 1964 that a referendum result ought to be based on all registered votes was now being portrayed as an argument resorted to by rats," Dr Sant said.

The reference to rats was made by the Labour leader as he referred to a strip cartoon in yesterday's The Sunday Times where Dr Sant is depicted as a cornered rat.

"Should we now paint the editors of The Times and The Sunday Times as rats?" he asked.

Prime Minister Fenech Adami had managed to garner only 48 per cent of the registered votes in the referendum and he ought to abide by that result.

Dr Fenech Adami had failed the test in spite of the fact that the government had the support of the English language newspapers, of the Public Broadcasting Services and "big bosses".

"When one sits an exam it is not the number of questions one answers that have a bearing on the result but the number of points one manages to chalk up.

"Dr Fenech Adami would have failed his Matsec exam," Dr Sant said to the general approval of party supporters.