Still in time to make a difference

With just two-and-a-half weeks left to June 6, it is now time for people to judge MEPs on the basis of their performance.

A lot has been said about the voting record of Labour MEPs who, until last September, included Labour leader Joseph Muscat. The table (right) presents a synopsis of their voting record on some of the most crucial issues for Malta. It does not make pleasant reading. But it does make compelling reading.

It shows that Labour MEPs did not stand up to be counted when our crucial national interests were at stake. They failed to vote coherently, they lacked preparation and they even failed to communicate and co-ordinate among themselves. Let alone convince the 200-strong Socialist group to vote in our favour.

Their voting record is a far cry from their populist rhetoric in Malta. On sensitive issues, such as immigration, Labour failed to match its rhetoric with action and results in Brussels. And not just on voting.

Take burden sharing on immigration, which Labour turned into a major political issue since last October.

Not only did they vote incoherently in the European Parliament but Labour MEPs failed to participate in the intense legislative work that was underway over the past months to amend the Dublin regulation and to introduce a legally-binding burden-sharing mechanism in European legislation.

They also failed to present one single amendment to support burden sharing and even failed to participate in the debate. They were completely absent on the very issue that they had turned into a political football. In Malta they promised us a solution but in Brussels they failed to participate, let alone deliver.

True, they corrected their final vote on the Dublin regulation claiming they had made a mistake. And that is only human. But is it politically acceptable to get it so wrong on crucial issues such as this? And is it politically acceptable to be absent from all the work that has been undertaken on the single most important legislative process for Malta?

When the media pounced on their mistaken vote on Dublin II they were quick to point out that even Nationalist MEPs had, at times, corrected their vote during the course of these years, albeit not on crucial votes.

They added that I myself had corrected my vote on no fewer than 12 occasions over the past years. I take that as a compliment, considering that 12 corrections out of a total of 6,398 votes gives me a performance that tops the 99 per cent mark. And in so doing they also failed to state that their own MEPs corrected their vote on as many as 139 occasions, that is, 10 times as much, which still remains negligible in the larger scheme of things but hardly a credible way of pointing fingers at others.

When you elect us to represent you, it is not enough for us to cast our single vote. MEPs are expected to strive hard to convince others in order to muster a majority in plenary.

Labour MEPs have singularly failed to convince their Socialist colleagues on issues such as voting rights for immigrants. Instead, they limited themselves on casting their own votes without making any effort to convince their colleagues. And, even then, they voted on the same issue in four different ways on four different occasions.

Is all this relevant? Yes, it is. Because on June 6 your vote can determine who will be elected and from which political party. And if opinion polls are right, then there is a clear risk of Labour netting as many as four seats out of a total of six.

That is hardly a cause for celebration, given Labour's poor performance in the European Parliament over the past years. And it does not bode well for an effective Maltese representation in the European Parliament.

The sixth seat is likely to be determined not so much by voters who will cast their ballots as much as by those who are thinking of staying at home. Their abstention may have a determining impact on the result and it may reward Labour with four seats for the next five years.

There is no question that your vote is your right and yours is the privilege of how to use it. But if you stay at home, others will decide for you. And then it will be too late. You are still in time to make a difference.

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.