Editorial

Either Alfred Sant has a complete hold on the Labour Party where he can exercise absolute control and take unchallenged unilateral decisions or else those elements that supposedly form part of the so-called "leadership" have thrown in the towel, for yet unknown reasons. For how could the latest affront to the Maltese people be otherwise explained? We are, of course, referring to Dr Sant's bizarre statement that a new Labour government will not sign Malta's EU accession treaty on April 16 in Athens.

Through such statements the Labour leader continues to corner himself and his party. He persists in throwing at the people all sorts of suggestions and making promises and proposals in the hope that he may capture the imagination - for which read vote - of some gullible individual. Pity "pies" is not written "pries"; Dr Sant could have called his electoral manifesto "Pries in the sky"!

It is worth recalling that it was Dr Sant who had branded as illegitimate the newly-elected government in the 1998 general election even if the Nationalist Party had made a landslide victory.

He had promised an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and made it crystal clear nobody should expect any cooperation from the party he led.

His bitterness continued unabated all along the past four-and-a-half years.

He made a shocking declaration: the Labour opposition would not give any weight to the EU referendum because it was not legally binding. Dr Sant, and his "leadership", did not give two hoots about the people's sovereignty. True the March 8 referendum is not legally binding but no self-respecting politician could simply decide to ignore the people's will as freely expressed in such a democratic exercise where the electorate's mind is focused on one given issue.

Come March 9, when the yes vote prevailed, and Dr Sant appears on the party's TV to declare that his "partnership" proposal had won. How could it have won? It was not even on the cards for the purposes of the referendum which, incidentally, he had written off!

One affront to the people's will after another. How could Labour stoop so low?

Now, Dr Sant makes the ultimate decision. The people's will is zilch in his - and, as a consequence, also in his party's - eyes. What the people decide let Dr Sant put asunder.

He promises another referendum ostensibly for the people to decide between "partnership" and membership of the EU. If such a referendum is held - and Dr Sant's performance on March 9 puts such an exercise in serious doubt - the people would in reality be choosing between "partnership" and... "partnership" unless the accession treaty would have been signed on April 16.

Just hours after Dr Sant told journalists Labour would not sign the treaty, the Greek Presidency of the European Union made it amply clear that Malta would not have another opportunity to join the EU for a very long time if the treaty remained unsigned.

EU Commission president Romano Prodi felt he had to stress the point when he interjected to say: "Do you also want me to say that in Italian?"

But judging by past experience, Dr Sant would not understand not even had Mr Prodi repeated it in Maltese. Perhaps Prof. Prodi could have tried "PR" talk!

Dr Sant now faces the people's ultimate verdict and his effrontery will be met in kind.