Editorial

"You have a long, complex and wonderful history of survival", the Maltese parliament was told by Mr Pat Cox, the European Parliament president, last Tuesday. "The choice is yours not mine, our door is open, our hearts are open to you and I would say to you personally, I really think you should seize the moment, but the choice to seize it or not is yours".

Mr Cox is what you could call an old hand and a former journalist to boot. It was his experience in this role that shone out during an exchange with Alfred Sant, who asked the press to stay on for the duration of his meeting with Mr Cox. He may be regretting it. To Dr Sant`s expressed fear that as an EU member Malta could be regarded as a threat to either the north or the south, Mr Cox unhesitatingly asked: "A threat to whom? This is part of your imagination".

Mr Cox did more than indulge in parry and thrust, where he was doing all the thrusting. The EU posed no threat to any Mediterranean country. It contributes to peace. It was a positive force in the region. To the remark by the leader of the opposition that the EU was creating conditions for setting up a military alliance, Mr Cox rejoined that such a concept sounded like "a cold war, old style neutrality". If Switzerland was the model for Labour, referenda were the cornerstone of Swiss democracy.

Here was one of the most positive and upbeat performances given by an EU official or re-presentative on these islands. There was no beating about the bush. Mr Cox maintained the required modicum of diplomacy in his utterances, but what he had to say in favour of membership he said with a great deal of vigour and clarity. There were no grey areas. He showed up Dr Sant`s real or imagined fears for what they were. He also asked questions that have a profound importance for the Maltese electorate eager to learn more about Malta`s position as a small country in a large grouping.

"Do you want to participate in the decision-making process? Do you want to be at the table of the European Commission? Do you want to be at the table of the Council of Ministers? Do you want to actively participate in the European parliament? These are the consequential dimensions of how you choose in your internal debate".

We, as an electorate, need to recognise these consequential dimensions. We should put to flight the repeated allegations by Labour that Malta will not have a say in anything. We have to realise that what we are joining is not a club where everybody will try to trip us up, but one where we can voice our hopes and fears, where we can contribute to the Mediterranean debate more strongly than if we were out of the club, where we can establish deeper and deeper friendships resulting in more and more cooperation that will help us to establish our identity in this great league of nations.

A mind-set of 50 years ago is not what the Maltese people want. What is needed is a strong sense of vocation in the future, in a future that is creating dynamic concepts and alliances, a future we reject at our peril. Many in Dr Sant`s party understand this only too well. It may be why he may decide not to give them a chance to record their opinion in a referendum, ironically a process fundamental to his chosen model for Malta`s future.