Is it yes or is it no?

The EU referendum has come and gone, yet the controversy on this hot issue has intensified. One would have thought that after the referendum results were officially published, the March 8 event would be just another important historic date in our country's records and life would go on in the usual manner.

But this was not to be. As in many other political issues, each side to the story declared itself a victor, so much so that both political parties rallied their supporters to celebrate the occasion while the counting of votes was still going on.

I do not blame the many followers, on both sides of the two leading political camps, that packed the streets to listen to their leaders' interpretation of the referendum result. I do blame, however, the diametrically opposite interpretations the two parties chose to give to the results in an endeavour to gain political mileage.

One does not need to be a mathematician to make a simple analysis of the final result and come to the conclusion as to who emerged the winner, if there was truly a winner.

The only quality one needs in such an instance is a good sense of impartiality and objectivity, together with that other ingredient called logic.

I do believe that of the 10 per cent that abstained from voting, four per cent to five per cent are regular abstainees, deceased persons included. Thus, taking the number of no votes - 123,628 - and adding to it the five per cent of abstainees, who actually followed the Labour Party directive, the anti-EU membership support would go up to 137,025. To this total one must also include the number of invalid votes, who again followed the Labour Party's directive - 3,928. Thus, the total of Labour support is 140,953.

On the other side of the scales, we have the pro-EU membership support of 143,094, which mathematically gives the Nationalists Party a lead of 2,141 votes over the Labour Party's total support.

In other words, in real terms the pro-EU votes polled 50.38 per cent of the eligible votes, while those against polled 49.62 per cent. This scenario gives the pro-EU membership group a marginal victory; surely an inadequate mandate for any political party to change the face of the country for good.

In scenario two, assuming that six per cent of the abstainees were in fact following the Labour directive, then Labour's stand would have improved by a further 2,679 votes. In such an instance, the situation would be reversed and the anti-EU membership vote would have won the day with an even smaller majority of some 538 votes.

The foregoing is the nearest one can get to the truth vis-à-vis the electorate's wishes regarding EU membership. Unlike what the two main parties claim, and notwithstanding what our friends in the EU say, the facts are that there was no real winner in the contest.

Rightly or wrongly, the Labour Party gave its followers the directive to vote against membership, or invalidate the voting document, or abstain from voting. If the PN found it so appropriate then to warn Labour supporters that they should not follow such directives for otherwise they would be throwing Lm81 million down the drain, how on earth could it now disregard the wishes of that section of the electorate who abstained and/or invalidated their vote as directed?

Notwithstanding the Referendum Act, as amended, it is crystal clear that the two factions - for or against EU membership - are running neck-and-neck. I do not concur with the saying that the law is an ass; certainly, not on this occasion.

It is our parliamentarians who should look into a mirror and conclude who, in fact, the ass is. Referenda should be conducted in a more serious manner.

Whereas voting in a general election is tantamount to committing oneself to a five-year term, the referendum under discussion is a permanent commitment. The two issues do not fall under the like with like category. Hence, they should be treated differently.

I sincerely feel it would be unwise for our politicians to carry on with this senseless controversy and mudslinging. Now that the government has dissolved parliament and announced the general election date, I hope the episode will come to an end soon, once and for all.

One can only regret having brought about this political tension and incurring such unnecessary public expense, when one could have saved the day by calling a general election in the first instance.