Mary Ann Borg, Birkirkara.
Pros and cons of PfP membership (1)
The Malta Labour Party is complaining about the fact that Malta reapplied to join the Partnership for Peace Programme so soon while not even Parliament has yet been convened. Labour is arguing that the subject should have been discussed in Parliament first.
Facts show that the Nationalist Party applied to rejoin the programme on Thursday, March 20, 2008, 12 full days after the election date. Labour pulled Malta out of the PfP on October 29, 2006, precisely three days after the election date. George Vella, then minister for foreign affairs, flew to Brussels to pull us all out of the PfP while Labour supporters were still celebrating the election result in the streets. Such was the speed of the Labour Party's action. So what is it complaining about now?
Is the MLP comfortable with the fact that each time military matters are discussed within Nato-EU, up comes the Turkish representative to send Malta out of the conference hall together with the Cypriot delegation? Do we really have to continue being humiliated by a non-EU country? Perhaps Dr Vella should go and have a word with the Maltese soldiers who are looking forward to again sharing their skills with other armies, an opportunity that only lasted a year before the Labour government killed such an opportunity.
Malta and the Armed Forces of Malta are proud to have rejoined the league of nations that also involves Switzerland (that incidentally joined the PfP the same day MLP pulled Malta out!) and Russia to mention a few.
All this while Labour expected the Maltese to believe their "New Beginning" ideas were anything new. Nothing new on this matter, except that the next new thing we will all have will be a new Labour Party leader. One hopes the latter will have the courage to take the party into a more modern, sensible direction and stop thinking with a Cold War mentality in this new millennium which is already eight years old!
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André Xuereb
Mar 31st 2008, 20:42
Our soldiers will not participate in any wars and participation in any activity related to the PfP is on a voluntary basis... please stop regurgitating the same nonsense over and over again.
Victor Laiviera
Mar 31st 2008, 20:32
Ms Mary Ann Borg left out one vital fact - that withdrawla from the PfP was a major part of the MLP's electoral manifesto in 1966. So it had a clear mandate to take Malta out.
By contrrast, PfP membership was never mentioned by the PN in the recent electoral campaign.
The hasty and undehand decision to reapply even before Parliament has convened may or may not be legal, but it certainly goes against the spirit that should animate the government of a trulu democratic government - especially one with only a relative majoirty just 0.5% more than the opposition.
mark tanti
Mar 31st 2008, 19:52
Mr.Magro consult with who ? With a party which says NO to every thing. ? Consult with a party who froze Malta's application to join the EU, Consult with a paty who with drew Malta from from the PFP. Mr Magro until your party does not CHANGE consultation will only result in loosing time and opportunities for our country.
I agree with Maria Dolores that the soldiers should talk about the PfP which I am sure the majority of our soldiers agree that Malta joined the PfP. Maria Dolores with all respect saying that by participating in the PfP our soldiers will be sent for war sorry but YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT PfP and that your TV remote consists ONLY of one button which is that of Super One TV
Maria Dolores Fenech
Mar 31st 2008, 18:02
I guess the ones that should talk about this application should be the soldiers and their families.
Can anyone state in which war did the PfP bring peace?
Are these gentlemen who wrote here willing to go fight at these wars (if it is a partnership for peace then soldiers HAVE to go and fight), instead of the maltese soldiers who are not willing to do so?
There have been 2 past elections when we had PN government, and which did feel the need to re-apply for the PfP. Why now? Is it really, as stated here, for the sake of not letting RCC being humiltated when sent out of the conference Hall during the discussions? Is this the price we have to pay?
Charles Camilleri
Mar 31st 2008, 15:59
Dear David be king enough to tell us when Malta was not divided. Remember these words? They have a different dna, those are not of our family, a labour Govt will only work with labourits and for labourits, the insults to the Univ. studenst etc etc. You were against Europe and now you see the benefits of our entry. Now you are against the PfP. In time you will again open your eyes and see the benefits of this too. But as in everything labour is wise only after the event. You still have a mentally of the dark old days. you will never change.
David Magro
Mar 31st 2008, 12:50
Dear Ms.Borg, at least in 1996 MLP had to guts to state that if elected he would bring Malta out of the PFP. We are back to square one, the gover`t does what he wants...it does not matter that Malta is divided. To hell with consultation !