Consultation lacking 'despite call for cooperation'

Opposition leader Alfred Sant said yesterday that while the prime minister was calling for all round cooperation with the government, it was organisations which had worked hand in hand with the government before the referendum and the election that were complaining of lack of consultation.

These orgnisations included the Union Haddiema Maghqudin, the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association, the Federation of Industry and the GRTU - Association of General Retailers and Traders.

Dr Sant said the Labour Party would continue to say the truth. It would also continue to say that the government was irresponsible, having ignored everything other than taking Malta into the EU. A case in point was the closure of Maghtab, with the government having failed to plan a replacement in due time.

Dr Sant said that while before the election the government had given every indication that everything was rosy, it was now discovering one problem after another, including the state of public finances and the unsustainability of the health service, the welfare state, pensions and the shipyards.

Before the referendum he had warned workers in various sectors to be careful and time was proving him right, Dr Sant said. These were Dr Fenech Adami's problems because he had created them or allowed them to grow.

The MLP did not like being proved right by having unemployment rise, the standard of living threatened or tourism in crisis. It would therefore remain committed to safeguarding the workers' interests.

Dr Sant made his comments when he addressed the annual meeting of the Paola MLP committee.

In his speech he also expressed disagreement with Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici's views on what the MLP's EU policy should be.

He admitted there were some people within the MLP who felt that the party should commit itself to pull Malta out of the EU at the first opportunity because, according to them, the MLP would thus remain consistent.

But, Dr Sant said, in January 2001 the Labour general conference had agreed that the EU membership issue should be decided at the general election. That election had been held and it had been won by those who were in favour of Malta joining he EU. For a big party such as the MLP to now say it would take Malta out of the EU would prolong the uncertainty that existed in the past few years, to the detriment of jobs and the workers.

The MLP's executive and the parliamentary group were therefore of the view that rather than being the lap dog of Brussels, as the government was, the MLP should work to reduce the disadvantages of EU membership for Malta. It would also use the resources of the Socialist family within the EU. Indeed, the European Socialists had already declared that EU membership should not affect Malta's neutrality, Dr Sant said.