Sunday, 13th April 2008
Labour planned U-turn on EU in 1997
The Labour government had set the wheels in motion to re-route Malta towards EU membership back in 1997, former deputy leader George Abela reveals in an interview with The Sunday Times today.
Former Prime Minister Alfred Sant had personally drawn up a paper to start discussions with the Nationalist opposition in a bid to lead to "convergence" about EU membership, the MLP leadership contender says.
Internal and informal discussions involving Dr Abela, Lino Spiteri, John Attard Montalto and Dr Sant were held to plot the way forward on the EU issue.
At the time, former Education Minister Evarist Bartolo had also written an article in a newspaper entitled 'Convergence' precisely on this issue, which seems to have gone unnoticed.
The revelation is likely to place Labour's true position on the EU issue in a new light, especially since the party subsequently steered a harsh anti-EU membership campaign until the issue was sealed following the 2003 referendum and general election.
"We held internal discussions as we believed it was high time to remove the EU freeze. I'll never forget that," Dr Abela says.
In an outspoken interview, the 59-year-old lawyer says that the biggest lesson he learnt during his party's short term in office is that there should be no hard and fast rules in politics - that is why the Labour government had decided to shift from its EU freeze, irrespective of whether it won the election on that ticket.
But the trouble over the water and electricity tariffs, the Dom Mintoff debacle and the controversial Cottonera project put the EU issue on the backburner. Dr Abela quit the party and the country went to the polls after just 22 months of a Labour government.
For Dr Abela, Labour's decision to continue objecting to EU membership remains inexplicable.
Dr Abela, who will be holding a public meeting in Cospicua this morning, says he is now free to make his voice heard, after Dr Sant resigned as Labour leader following three successive defeats at the polls. But he speaks about the obstacles that are being created in his bid to get Labour's top job, amid the misinformation being spun by some top officials.
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Since no MLP official came out with a denial, it must have been true.
If untrue, what is keeping the MLP from suing for libel?
That will really put them in a fix. Imagine suing a candidate for their own leadership race!
Objections to GA's bid for leadership from some diehards have an element of mind-boggling logic. They say GA cannot be trusted because he left the party on disagreeing with Sant on the EU and other major issues. Do they then prefer hyprocites at the MLP helm? Would they have preferred having GA ramming the Partnership farce down their throat even if GA believed otherwise? Do they still prefer a leader who promises an outstanding electoral victory even when defeat stares glaringly in his face? No wonder that some bloggers are finding it impossible to believe that Sant & Co had actually toyed with the idea of going along with the PN's EU plans from as far back as 1997, whilst they were led to believe that the EU was the devil incarnate that brought only one million liri and an invasion of Sicilian workers stealing our jobs.
Unfortunately for innumerable genuine reds, many from the MLP administration did just that, leaving the grassroots bewildered at the fate that struck them at the polls time and time again.
It is now ripe to recognise and award honesty, consistency, straightforwardness and intelligent foresight, whilst banishing trickery, cowardice and unfaithfulness. How many more times do the reds want to be taken for a ride before admitting it, albeit and very understandingly with a heavy heart? Have courage now and go for substance!
To add to the last few lines of Mr Grech, yes the PN had to do something about Dalli and JPO because they are 'threatened' so to speak. The PN does everything (even firing Saliba!) to pacify Dalli and even sending JPO as head of COE delegation after the Mistra scandal!
George Abela's revelations made news for everyone no matter how hard you try to descredit them by stating that, to you, they don't sound right or that they don't hold water. Facts are facts and cannot be disputed or ignored by insiders who weren't even aware of the internal discussions going on within a select MLP team made up of himself, John Attard Montalto, Evarist Bartolo and Dr Sant.
Not a single official Party or individual MP statement has been issued by Labour to challenge or refute these astounding revelations. This goes to prove a fact I have always maintained as being irreproachable. The issue of Malta's application for EU membership SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN TURNED INTO A POLITICAL ISSUE.
Simply because the country's economy only stood to gain from acquiring membership. How can anyone be so naive as to witness a number of European nations, mostly pre-Communist era ones, all queueing to be accepted as members while tiny Malta was dithering whether to apply. The MLP had by then organized a well-planned and costly campaign (with Joseph Muscat at the helm) to scare people out of their wits by spreading false Jeremias tales about the economic gloom and doom that was to befall Malta should it accept to opt for EU membership.
Dr Abela ought to be publicly acclaimed, appreciated and thanked for having the audacity to reveal these backroom strategies that gave the lie as to the real reason Labour opposed the EU Referendum campaign. It is for this valid reason that I am convinced that the outspoken George Abela has earned the respect of voters hailing from all sides of the political spectrum. This is certainly the right person who has the best credentials, the personal charisma, the common good ideals shared with that erstwhile Labour leader Sir Paul Boffa and whose credibility is second to none who can lead the MLP to become an alternative government in the next general elections.
John Scerri .Pre 1987 I was free to speak freely, even though we had bombs put on people's doorsteps . I think the labour party of the time was soft on the likes of you. your leadership were throwing stones and then blaming MLP supporters, with the right wing media supporting such blatant lies.
Thanks to post 1987 pluralism today we are all free to voice our views all over the world by means of the internet .
If one knows how to read and write but is restrained from openly and liberally expressing ones views this is comparable to a communist country where one might have lots of money but has nothing to spend it on.
The article in question , if true, is a right out insult to the intelligence of all Labour supporters who were indoctrinated in believing that EU was HELL. One can also conclude that MLP's war was not against EU membership but against the Govt.
We citizens of Malta deserve to be treated much better .
It is a shame that past high rank party officials now decide to dig out issues in which they had a major part after all these years .
Stop taking the people for a ride .
PLEASE !
Up to now no one from MLP has even bothered to challenge this article.
Such conflict is certainly present in the naitonalist camp as well. The only difference is that the nationalists are better at keeping such conflict a purely internal matter. The evidence of such internal conflicts in the nationalist camp can be seen in party decisions which don t quite add up. Haven t you ever wondered why after being sidelined for a number of years John Dalli was first appointed as a consultant and then given a ministry quite frankly out of the blue? What about why JPO is heading the COE delegation after the whole Mistra affair?
Can you imagine them in government with all this garbage being exposed now?
However, you simultaneously shot yourself in the foot because you just confirmed that it was you and perhaps one or two others on one side, against all the other lements within the MLP, most of whom are still there up front and some others lurking in the shadows. If you felt compelled to leave the party behind you then, what makes you so sure that you will not be dealt with the same vigour this time around?
If a team fails, it is usually the coach who gets fired not the players, unfortunately.
It stands to reason that if elected leader, you will spend more time watching your back than developing policies which will make the MLP a credible alternative government-in- waiting.
If what is written here is true why on earth did we go through all sorts of arguments on partnership and all the rest.
I find this very difficult to believe when recalling the events we went through and the elections of 2003 which had to be called to confirm the referendum which Dr. Sant did not want to respect unless it was confirmed by an election result.
What is stated here does not coincide with the actual facts.
So MLP fought against EU membership out of convenience not out of conviction. Where were all today's heroes when Dr Sant was trying to sell the Svizerra fil-Mediterran stupidity, when he claimed that the partnership won, when he thundered 'Allaheres qatt Malta tidhol fl-Unjoni Ewropea' and when few weeks ago (before the elections) he said "No Regrets"?
After the damage MLP managed to inflict on the country in the late 70's and 80", it spent the late 90's and up to 2003 trying to lead us into the wrong option CONSCIOUSLY.
Shame on you all.
Thank God Labour United (sic!) lost. For these last 40 years, MLP, has been ALWAYS champioing wrong and stupid policies...today we come to know that they were also aware that they were championing the wrong policies. However, they still steamed ahead.
Nothing short of refoundation of MLP will help the party...and the country.
Viva l-Partit Glorjuz Nazzjonalista.
In 1998, he was one of the deputy leaders of the MLP. No one -as far as I know - told him to leave the Party. Today, he is inviting people to join up forces. Why didn't he stay on as a healthy voice of dissent within the Party?
I contend that through his move then, it became more difficult for anyone to criticise as to disagree with the leadership could have meant a one-way ticket out of the Party.
So, what changes if Dr. Abela becomes the next leader of the MLP: Should internal critics stand up at the Konferenza Generali and call it a day?