Andrew Borg Cardona referred extensively to the declaration by Maltese European commissioner designate, Karmenu Vella, that he is a convinced European “having voted for my country’s accession…” (Times of Malta, October 4).
Borg Cardona commented that “Karmenu Vella... forgot… that the media would be able to dig up his pronouncements even as far back as 2003”.
While agreeing with this statement, I must say that I was not particularly impressed by the way local media did dig up Vella’s pronouncements even as far back as 2003. I read only one or two such ‘pronouncements’ and, nearly all the rest, were rather generic and generally superficial without going into further relevant detail.
Since I think this is a very serious case of political accountability, I invested some of my precious little time I have at my disposal and carried a cursory search over the last few weeks preceding the EU referendum in March 2003 and the subsequent election, a month later, to establish what Vella had said and done during those very crucial days.
To refresh one’s memory, it is pertinent to recall that the referendum of March 8, 2003 proposed to the Maltese electorate the following question: “Do you agree that Malta becomes a member of the European Union in the forthcoming enlargement on May 1, 2004?”
The political parties were very clear in the stand they took. The Nationalist Party and Alternattiva Demokratika instructed the electorate to vote yes. The Labour Party, on February 1, 2003, issued its directive to the electorate: Vote no, invalidate your vote or stay at home.
What was Karmenu Vella’s position in this campaign?
I just flicked through Times of Malta and l-orizzont and found the following:
January 16, 2003: while Parliament was discussing a motion presented by the Nationalist government to hold the EU referendum, Vella declared that the EU accession would cost Malta’s political and economic sovereignty.
Karmenu Vella’s case illustrates political expediency in its worst form
January 17, 2003: Parliament voted in favour of a referendum. The Labour Opposition, including Vella, voted against.
January 29, 2003: Vella, along with Alfred Sant, met with the Malta and Gozo Restaurants Association to discuss EU membership with particular reference to Labour’s ‘partnership’ policy.
February 5, 2003: while Parliament was debating the Malta Tourism Authority’s estimates, Vella attacked the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association for its survey/report which clearly indicated that its members were overwhelmingly in favour of Malta joining the EU.
February 5, 2003: in the same debate, Vella declared that Malta’s competitiveness would diminish with EU membership.
February 12, 2003: Vella and Sant addressed workers in the tourism industry, at the Labour Party’s headquarters, to explain the ‘partnership’ proposal and advised them to vote against Malta’s entry in the EU in the referendum.
February 19, 2003: Vella again accompanied Sant to meet Air Malta workers at the PL headquarters. Vella said the ‘partnership’ option offered flexibility, competitiveness and lower costs. Workers were told that ‘partnership’ was superior to membership.
February 19, 2003: Vella (with Sant and Leo Brincat) addressed a live press conference on Super One TV and radio during which he said that the rules of EU would have a negative impact on our country’s competitiveness. He said that while in 2003 out of every €233 Malta derived from tourism, €151.45c remained here and €81.55c went abroad, with Malta as an EU member, €93.2c would remain here and €139.8c went abroad.
March 3, 2003: in a seminar organised by the Federated Association of Travel and Tourism Agents, Vella explained the party’s report concerning EU membership impact on tourism and told those present he did his best to promote Labour’s stand, the ‘partnership’ proposal.
March 8, 2003: the people approve (54 per cent) Malta’s admission into the EU. (Eleven years after this historic vote, Vella states he voted yes.)
March 25, 2003: during Labour’s general election campaign, Vella addresses a press conference with Sant during which they spoke of having halted Malta’s membership and adopted ‘partnership’ even in the tourism sector.
July 14, 2003: Parliament ratified the EU Accession Treaty. Vella was one of a handful of Labour MPs who absented themselves from that historic parliamentary sitting. In the final analysis, when comparing these facts with what Vella told MEPs, one is driven to a number of logical conclusions:
He took the Maltese electorate – and, mostly, Labour supporters – for a ride.
He was living a lie when he took such an active part in Labour’s campaign against the EU referendum.
Something must have happened in the very last days (or hours?) prior to the referendum that made him change his mind.
Is it unreasonable for a good chunk of the electorate to doubt Vella’s latest declaration that he voted yes?
It is so evident that his case illustrates political expediency at its worst form. It is also an insult to our collective memory.
Jean Pierre Debono is the PN’s assistant secretary general.