A normal approach by University students

I watched the full debate by the four political party Leaders at the University and there is no doubt that Alfred Sant was booed and jeered on more than one occasion. However. this is a normal approach by University students, especially in the western world where there is true democracy.

One may also add the way Dr Sant approached the students, which gives the impression that he himself wanted to be booed and jeered because he avoided from giving a proper answer to the questions. Worse still is the fact that, being a seasoned and mature politician, Dr Sant should know that when faced by a hostile audience, the speaker must avoid confrontation with the floor and be careful not to increase it by making direct questions when he knows what the answers are likely to be.

One therefore cannot be blamed if one were to conclude that this was an MLP strategy so that Dr Sant will be portrayed as a victim of the Nationalist students, thus giving loads of ammunition to his colleagues to blow up the issue out of all proportions.

It was to be expected that the Labour Party would condemn the booing and jeering aimed at Alfred Sant. However, most of those condemning the students' actions went overboard and these included both deputy leaders who called the students all sorts of names. The crown for insults to the student was however won by former Deputy Leader George Vella who, as usual, lost his cool by shouting to a high pitch note when condemning the students' booing.

Not only did Dr Vella call them all sorts of names not usually uttered by a medical practitioner but even threatened that he will be prepared to forget all about the election manifesto - as if he was still running the party. It would be interesting if Dr Vella were to explain what he meant by his statement and whether this included the stopping of the students' stipend, after all this would be exactly what the Labour did in 1996.

Apart from Dr Vella, former socialist minister Lino Spiteri noted that "what occurred at the University last Monday was nothing less than naked intolerance".

Mr Spiteri argued that those who enjoyed the spectacle would say that it served the Labour leader right as "there were components of Labour rabble who were just as crudely intolerant of the views of opponents, if not worse".

His statement would have made a lot of sense had he compared "like with like" but what happened under the socialist regime was an orgy of sheer violence on a student by the name of Michael Frendo, our present Foreign Minister, who was trying to make his graduation speech, and continued on all those present for the ceremony, be it other students, parents or academic staff.

This orgy was carried out by a number of persons whose credentials for being invited to attend this ceremony was that they had graduated ST - socialist thugs. This is why "like was not compared to like", even if Mr Spiteri tried to cover himself by adding the words "or even worse".

For the record, beating of University and other students was not limited to the one occasion mentioned above. Without doing any research on this matter, three other occasions come to mind:

● A Labour candidate who used to enjoy running around the University campus in his 4x4 accompanied by a socialist student threatened other students who happened to be on the campus.

● A former minister who was going down the road near the Mcast in his Mercedes claimed that some students -16/17-year-olds - insulted him. Rather than reporting these lads to their headmaster, he stopped his car and, together with his entourage, terrorised the youths one of whom was given a "take that" on his chin.

● On October 5, 1979 medical and other students chained themselves to the iron railings at Castille, in protest at the socialist regime's decision to lock out all doctors for obeying their union's directives.

On those occasions Dr Vella lost his voice and Mr Spiteri his pen!

Over 20 years have passed since and one would therefore argue that time must have healed all the wounds inflicted and that these should not have been raised again. A simple answer would be that wars are still remembered and commemorated and the main reason for this is to remind people what arrogance and intolerance may lead to.

Today. Dr Sant is saying that he has nothing to regret. Charles Mangion and Michael Falzon claim that the Malta Labour Party has a glorious past.

Let me remind them once more that those who condone violence become themselves guilty of such acts and those who do not repent their wrongdoing would be prepared to do it again if and when circumstances arise.