Voting Labour would be an irreversible mistake

It has been said many times that the Nationalist Party won the last general election only because of the European Union issue. This is definitely not true! Undoubtedly, Europe was one of the key factors that helped us achieve a deserved victory, but there were other crucial factors that led to another term to the Nationalist Party.

As the party in government, the Nationalist Party had been masterminding a positive change in the country since 1998, when a new PN government was chosen to succeed a disastrous Labour administration led by Dr Alfred Sant.

Let us not rush to conclusions and think before we commit an irreversible mistake. It's a big error for all those people who think that in the forthcoming general election, they can vote Labour because Europe can save them from a disastrous situation similar to the one created by Dr Sant and his Cabinet between 1996 and 1998.

To maximise the advantages of EU membership, we need a high quality administration. The Maltese can count themselves lucky that until now, we have the Nationalist Party at the helm. Under this administration, Malta is achieving truly encouraging results.

We have to realise that EU can only help us to achieve success, but surely cannot save us from our own mistakes or from those of Dr Sant and the Labour Party.

What would be Malta's position in the EU if a Labour government were to win the next general election? I am afraid to think about this specific scenario because clearly it would be a big blow for Malta, especially because Dr Sant would be prime minister.

Dr Sant has been the Labour Party leader for 15 years, yet he has never changed. He is the same politician who froze the process of Malta's accession to the European Union and perversely declared that his party had won the referendum on EU membership in 2003.

Almost 10 years after his last term as Prime Minister, Dr Sant is still trying to convince the electorate that he is the ideal leader for us! Yet he cannot be trusted to wield power. Malta and the EU deserve better.

Dr Lawrence Gonzi has been in office since 2004 and the results he has obtained speak for themselves! I am not saying this because I am a Nationalist MEP; statistics confirm that Dr Gonzi's leadership skills continued Malta's positive change.

When talking with MEPs from other EU countries, I feel proud that my political leader is considered one of the best in Europe. Dr Gonzi's sense of vision, direction, management skills and most of all his charisma, are much appreciated and recognised by many of my colleagues, belonging to different political groups in the European Parliament.

Watching the Prime Minister being interviewed by One News journalist Charlon Gouder on September 19, I was surprised how tranquil and consistent he was in whatever he said. However, most importantly, he was not caught up in his replies to nonsense questions that may instigate partisan divisions. Other politicians may have acted differently!

Without doubt he is the man our country deserves! He is the one that deserves a second term as prime minister!

david.casa@europarl.europa.eu www.davidcasa.eu