Simon Busuttil (March 11) claims that the Labour Party (PL) is "less than convincing on Europe" only six years after Malta's accession. Readers may ask: What does he mean by less than convincing?
Surely he cannot mean that the PL is not steeped in European lore, at least as much as his own party is, if not more. Indeed, given the majority of members it boasts in the EP, it stands to reason it has gathered more information about the EU and is more conversant with what it takes to navigate in the deep waters of EU institutions and, therefore, is better equipped to tackle problems emanating from, or relative to, the EU scenario.
What Dr Busuttil failed to mention, wittingly or not, is the fact that the PL's vision is not obfuscated by any kind of obsequiousness or adulation towards the institution/s mentioned in his article. The PL is not indebted to the EU. Its only allegiance is to its sister parties represented in the EP. The PL's dispassionate approach about the EU enables its representatives in bureaucratic Brussels to strive to secure real benefits for Malta without allowing anyone to hoodwink them in their endeavours.
The PL wants its representatives to be very careful about what is favourable to Malta. It is convinced that, in order to garner what is best for Malta in ruthless Brussels, its own representatives must be equally forceful in their asking for more.
If Dr Busuttil is afraid of looking like the proverbial Oliver, Labour representatives will teach him the ropes and how to get more and yet more for the Maltese citizens of the EU who would otherwise be left in the lurch by the bigger, and more hardnosed, countries inside the EU.
The Immigration Pact is a case in point. What help has the pact brought us when all of us are aware of the immigration problem that is engulfing us? What does Dr Busuttil have to say about the dismal way in which the EU has abandoned us in our desperate way to deal with such an overwhelming problem? What has the EU actually done to rescue our country from the quandary it found itself in due to joining the EU? What does Dr Busuttil have to show for his efforts to persuade Frontex to do its duty, whatever it really is?
If one read Jeremy Seabrook's recently-published volume titled The Refuge And The Fortress one will become acquainted with the intransigence, racism, xenophobia and hostility of much of the European countries when faced by irregular immigration. This is a factual narrative not fiction. As Jeremy Seabrook demonstrates in his book, the walls of an excluding fortress that Europe has become are growing higher all the time. The lords of Padania want Lampedusa to bear the brunt of illegal immigration in the Mediterranean and are not ashamed to say so. The others, albeit more discreetly, equally want us to carry a similar burden. To most of them, Mediterranean countries, particularly islands, island-states included, may very well become nothing more than centres for such immigrants. Is it a novel notion to say that northern Europeans have always thought of the Med as a junkyard, at least since the 17th century?
It pains one to talk in this way but if we want to be realistic in our assessment of Malta-EU relations we must avoid hiding the truth. We must stand up to them and fight for our rights against the bullies in Brussels. The PL has a marked history for standing up against foreign arrogance. Now that we are in the EU we do not plan to change our tack. If anything, we shall intensify our habitual approach, starting from the European Parliament where Labour MEPs representing the majority will return with aplomb come June.
Mr Cuschieri is a Labour candidate for the European Parliament elections.