It's September - gearing up

It's the first day as well as the first Sunday of the month. It's more than that - since this is the month when Parliament reopens, as scheduled, after the summer recess and when we can expect significant Independence Day celebrations for which preparations have been very much ongoing in the past few months.

We may well envisage politics to gain momentum as the country begins to prepare for its most important decisions in its current history.

There is no secret about it. A referendum about Malta joining the European Union as well as general elections are expected in the new year. Those elections will be as and more important as those we had in 1987.

Malta is again at the crossroads and it is clear that the outcome of the people's vote in these events will determine the future of our country.

We promised the people that they could enjoy both the World Cup and summer! There was no repeat of the political crisis we had only four years ago when the Labour Government ran into serious trouble on all policy issues that matter, from its foreign (not least its European) to its social policies, from its fiscal policy to its mishandling of the Cottonera and other capital projects.

Even then we were initially told that we could enjoy summer and that Parliament would not reconvene until October 26. So it did, but it was a new legislature after the people ousted the Labour Government and overwhelmingly voted Nationalist in elections held on September 8, 1998.

Now that summer holidays have been enjoyed, but are practically over, we need to concentrate on the challenges that lie ahead.

EU membership is the most important of all challenges. Pursuing this target means achieving what is required in our own interests. The Nationalist Party believes in EU membership because the Party believes in and loves Malta.

It has had the historic privilege of leading the country when in 1964 we chose the path of Independence despite all the false prophets of doom and others who were genuinely worried that it might have been too early for us to take such a step.

The response of the Nationalist Party then was that the country could only prosper by gaining Independence. Saying that it should happen the other way round - prosper first and seek Independence later - was a contradiction in terms.

History proved us right and even those who apart from economic fears thought that we would not be able to safeguard democracy in the country if the "worst" happened now enjoy the benefit of hindsight and realise that in the past 38 years of Independence, we have had our share of difficult moments but we have managed to sail through admirably and certainly with more flying colours than if we had chosen to remain a colony.

Practically 40 years after that historic decision, another historic opportunity looms right ahead of us - in the coming months. It will be up to every voter in the country not to abscond from his or her responsibilities, but make the decision that best suits our country's future.

EU membership means that the future will be guaranteed through employment, economic prosperity and better conditions of work; it means making Malta a better place to live in, first and foremost for the Maltese people themselves.

Remaining outside only means insecurity and risking it all. Inversely, membership implies putting our minds at rest and a better standard of living for Maltese families.

The alternative is total uncertainty, where our children would not know what is to become of them in the future. In a world characterised by globalisation and interdependence, the stand-alone option is no option at all. To our south, it is clear that there will be the development of the African union.

As many industries are finding out, joining the EU not only means being able to compete without frontiers throughout the entire territory of that Union but also means reaping the benefits of all the trade agreements that the EU has successfully negotiated on behalf of its member states with non-member states ranging from those in the Middle East to the United States of America.

Becoming EU members means choosing to join where we belong. Already we talk of a Union that is made up of 15 member states representing a population of 400 million persons.

That Union may grow to one of as many as 20 countries in the coming months. Could it possibly be in our interest to be the only ones left out of this historic process? Why? Simply because the Opposition does not have enough faith in the people of Malta as a people who can make it and partake of all the available opportunities within the Union?

Membership means unfettered access to the EU markets, which in turn means more investment and work opportunities. Malta already thrives by selling its products and services in foreign markets, most of which are within the boundaries of the EU.

The vast majority of tourists who visit us come from EU countries. Our survival requires our holding the key that opens the doors to those markets where we can sell our products, as well as holding the key that brings in tourists, investment and jobs.

Membership in the Union is that key since it will open wide the doors to the Maltese exporter, who wants to sell his products and services in the vast European market, as well as enhancing in the process tourism to our country.

EU membership means living in peace and security and having a say in decisions that affect us. We would all like to be able to look to the future and feel that we can make our own plans, feeling secure in the process.

The EU offers that guarantee. As members we will participate in the decisions that affect us, as opposed to being affected anyway but without participating to indicate how those decisions affect us and how if necessary they should be modified in our interest, just as other member states do.

Even in the pre-accession phase, we have proved our worth through capable and thorough negotiations. We have shown that we know how to prepare and argue our case forcefully and Malta has managed to acquire concessions that have been truly unique, be it to safeguard ourselves in the employment sector, in regulating sale of property, regarding free movement of persons, and on environmental issues. All this augurs well that Malta would be able to ably to take care of its own.

EU membership means the best of standards in all respects, be it with regard to the environment, health and safety at work, roads, hospitals, social assistance, schools and other services.

Do the Maltese deserve any less than their European counterparts? Do the Maltese deserve any less than Germans, Italians, British, Spanish or French citizens? We do not think so. Only those who think that we are inferior believe that the Maltese deserve less, or cannot make it when dealing with citizens from other European countries.

Persons living in the different European nations have learnt to expect the best imaginable standards in all these fields precisely because they have learnt to rely on their membership within the EU to guarantee such standards.

It is wrong to keep nurturing a culture whereby, as far as we are concerned, we are willing to sacrifice standards and simply promote such slogans as "l-aqwa li jghaddi!" (the main thing is that it is acceptable) or "mhux xorta!" (it's all the same) when in fact standards do make a difference.

Equally the Maltese deserve to have the best products, including food items and at the best prices just like their European counterparts. Again we deserve no less.

EU membership means that we learn to expect the best as of right. Membership means that the body of Directives and Regulations that protect the citizens of Europe extend their cover to the people of Malta. This is not a question of assuming liabilities, but a question of assuming rights that are ours.

We cannot accept to make do with what other persons dump, with inferior quality. The cover of EU rules means that the persons living in Malta will also enjoy more rights, even with regard to their own Government.

September does not simply mean getting back into the political arena with renewed vigour. It also means that we begin gearing up for the decisions that affect our future. The decision on our future within the EU is the first and in many ways most important challenge. We are ready for it.