A pro-EU leadership

When, on April 12, the electorate voted for the Nationalist Party, they were not simply expressing a preference for Eddie Fenech Adami as opposed to Alfred Sant for the post of prime minister. Rather, and perhaps more importantly, in casting their vote for the Nationalist Party, the people were voting for Europe.

The absolute majority were, by means of their vote, telling the political class they wanted Malta's destiny to be forever intertwined with that of the European Union.

This is all history now. The accession treaty has been signed, and come May 1, 2004, Malta will take its rightful place among an enlarged European Union.

It is indeed futile for us to continue debating, as some seem inclined to do, whether or not this is, in fact, the best option for Malta. Put in the most simple of terms, the choice has been made by the sovereign electorate who, rightly or wrongly, has expressed a clear preference for membership.

It is our duty, as members of the political class, not only to respect such sovereign decision, but, above all, to implement it. Those of us who are unable or unwilling to do so should, respectfully, bow out and leave the political arena.

All this, of course, has a lot to do with the Malta Labour Party, which for the past years has been ardently pushing forward a partnership policy with the European Union, short of membership. Again, whether the basic premise upon which Labour's policy was based was sound or not is, at this point, immaterial. By means of their vote, the people have once and for all decided against the partnership option.

This fact necessarily implies that the Malta Labour Party must now reflect strongly on its foreign policy.

Indeed, I venture to argue that the party has no other option but to bow its head to the will of the majority of the electorate and change its foreign policy to one that fits the new political realities of the island, as a member state of the European Union.

Doing otherwise would, in my opinion, be an act of utter political foolishness, since it would seem only logical to presume that a pro-European electorate will not elect a political party whose political orientation is one that runs counter to this vision come the general election of 2008.

As a Labourite, however, I must also reflect on the issue whether this shift in the foreign policy direction of the party will, in and of itself, be sufficient to make Labour electable in the coming years. In this regard, I must confess to remain rather sceptical.

I firmly believe that although such a shift in Labour's foreign policy would work wonders to attract more and more people to the party, I remain of the view that this overall shift in policy direction, to be credible, must be backed by a clear and unmistakable commitment by the people advocating such a policy. I say this because, in politics, credibility is of the essence.

This credibility would be lacking on the part of the Labour Party if, after having updated its foreign policy direction, it retains at its helm people who remain Eurosceptic at heart. It is for this reason that I advocate a change in the present leadership.

Such a change must not be one that is made for the sake of making a change. In my making this call, there is no hidden agenda in favour or against anyone in particular. It is a mere logical reflection as to how best, in my opinion, the party can tackle the immediate and longer-term challenges facing it within a fast changing political scenario.

It is for this reason that I hasten to add that the new leadership of the Malta Labour Party cannot, indeed must not, be something that can be viewed as more of the same.

Whoever will have the honour of being elected to high offices within the party must be people who can offer a clean break from the past. Above all, they must be persons who well and truly share a genuine pro-European vision for this country.

I believe it is only in this way that the Malta Labour Party can adjust itself to its new role as an opposition party working within the European framework, in a manner that it can work towards mitigating the disadvantages that will be caused by membership while at the same time contributing towards reaping all the benefits that membership can bring about.