Unforgivable political policies

On September 15, a Labour’s news portal alleged that “The people know that the PL have been proved right and the PN have let this country down badly”.

The truth of the matter is quite the opposite. Labour invariably went off target whenever Malta’s destiny was to be decided. Even vis-à-vis the adoption of the euro, Labour stood on the wrong side of the fence.

Labour was adamantly against joining the eurozone and, yet, amazingly, Joseph Muscat alleged on national television he had worked hard within the European Parliament for Malta’s euro adoption (November 5). Dr Muscat’s writings prove otherwise. Not only did he verbally discourage the adoption of the euro, he wrote it down in black on white, not once but at least seven times.

As far back as January 9, 2002 he wrote that countries adopting the euro would be stripped of their sovereignty and forfeit their political power to Brussels; that the Prime Minister was wrong to believe Malta would be placed at a disadvantage if other countries adopted the euro and we did not (March 16, 2005); he defended and fully endorsed Alfred Sant’s serious doubts on adopting the euro (The Times, May 2, 2005).

Still supporting Dr Sant’s stand, he wrote the government was hurrying too much as it was not the opportune moment to join the eurozone (January 29, 2006); the day after he wrote the government should have the courage to take a step back and reconsider its plans (The Times). A month later, he wrote he did not mind writing again on the issue and claimed the government was using the worst hurried tactics to adopt the euro (February 15, 2006). On January 22, 2007, he alleged the government wanted to adopt the euro to be able to boast about its introduction (The Times).

To add insult to injury, Dr Muscat also endorsed Dr Sant’s proposal to devaluate the lira (l-Orizzont, December 8, 2004) – another mega blunder. Just imagine us today with 10 per cent less spending power with our fragile lira trying to compete with the stronger currencies.

Labour and Dr Muscat got it very wrong even over European Union membership. So resolute was Dr Muscat in his no to Europe vision that, in an article for an Icelandic newspaper, comparing Malta to Iceland, he strongly advised Iceland against joining the EU (August 1, 2002).

How can anybody ever forget Labour’s scaremongering tactics and its pathetic attempt to turn Malta into a Switzerland in the Mediterranean and that, when that gimmick failed, desperately resorting to the Partnership joke, or, perhaps, that came before the other stunt, who knows… there was such confusion in the Labour campaign.

To rub more salt into the wound, just before Dr Muscat contested the European Parliament, in his passionate anti-EU membership crusade, comparing EU membership to a death sentence for the pro-EU faction, he labelled it “Salib tal-Millennju (the Burden of the Millennium). A few days before the 2003 referendum, on the March 5, he described EU membership as “it-tarf ta’ rdum” (the edge of a precipice) and wrote he was proud to belong to a party advising voters to say no, to abstain or to invalidate their vote. He also branded the referendum “fażull” (bogus, a sham and fake) and a non-binding consultative exercise! Today, he coolly admits he was wrong and speaks as though he is the champion of the EU.

If Labour had had its way, today, Malta would be totally isolated from the rest of Europe – economically, socially and politically. Of course, Labour in the 1950s had crusaded for the worst possible future for Malta. Soon after Sir Paul Boffa’s resignation, Labour, which had started its life as an anti-colonial party, campaigned in favour of Malta’s integration with the United Kingdom with the slogan Integration Or Self-Determination. Led by Dom Mintoff, “In 1956 the Malta Labour Party advised its supporters to vote yes during the 1956 referendum campaign on whether Malta was to be integrated into the United Kingdom or not. The Nationalist Party (then in opposition), had boycotted the referendum or, if unable to do so due to circumstances beyond their control, to vote no” (Malta Tagħna, January 31, 1956). The Progressive Constitutional Party instructed its followers to vote no. To top it all, the negotiations for this blessed integration were kept secret, so the electorate had no idea what the package held. (The Sunday Times, July 14, 2002, J.M. Pirotta: Stop Distorting History!).

Labour’s pro-integration stance was simply the launching pad of the many mega faux pas it was to commit. As though wanting to abdicate Malta’s sovereignty were not damaging enough, shortly after Labour vehemently campaigned against Malta’s Independence from the British Empire. Thankfully, we all know the outcome: basically the Nationalist government’s triumph over Labour’s fiasco.

Today, Malta is an independent and sovereign state thanks to a Nationalist government. Today, Malta is a member of the European Union thanks to a Nationalist government. Today, Malta belongs to one of the strongest currencies thanks to a Nationalist government. Today, Malta has a stronger economy than most of its European counterparts, thanks to a Nationalist government.