What about the language?

There is no doubt that the latest antics by the General Workers' Union have inflicted a certain amount of damage on the Malta Labour Party. It is not that the GWU has decided to protest against the government that has caused a lot of unease among a large number of the population. It is the revelation inherent in the actions taken by the leadership of the GWU that the government can be held to ransom by an unelected group of people who claim unashamedly that they speak for the people, when in fact they can only speak for their paid-up members and possibly their families.

Trade unions cannot and should not take the mantle worn by political parties that submit themselves to the electorate periodically. It is acceptable for political parties to claim that they speak for the people, even if they are in opposition. That is part of the democratic game.

When the GWU claims to speak for the people and use threatening language against an elected government and insult other social partners in the bargain by calling them "mummies" because they have chosen a different path, either it exhibits traits of delusion of grandeur or else shows ignorance as to the place the trade unions occupy in a democratic society.

It is in this context that the desperate attempt at damage limitation on the MLP and the GWU, in Leo Brincat's article Solidarity But Not A Strategic Alliance (December 20) has to be judged. Mr Brincat tries to give the impression that the support the MLP gives the GWU is simply solidarity and nothing else. Go and tell that to the marines! There is a serious problem for the MLP. By offering solidarity to a trade union leader who repeatedly uses language that has no place in a democracy it is also lending support to the consequences of such language.

In his article Mr Brincat gives solace to the GWU leadership by quoting former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami who, as leader of the Nationalist Party and Opposition Leader between 1970 and 1978, spoke about how public opinion can bring down a government. Dr Fenech Adami was leader of a political party and not a trade union. (What a coincidence, Mr Brincat selected the same quotation from Dr Fenech Adami's speech which was also quoted by Tony Zarb when he addressed the protest meeting in Valletta on November 24.) If Alfred Sant were to repeat the same words today, every democratically minded person will accept that he has every right to do so. He is a leader of a political party whose aim it is to assume power through "fair and free elections".

Not that Labour has an unblemished history in this area. The result of the 1981 election remains as a testimony to Labour's unfair way of holding on to power and so does the adoption by a number of its well known supporters of corrupt practices in the form of intimidation and prevention of voters from exercising their democratic rights.

And even when fair and free elections where held under a Labour government in 1998, Dr Sant decided to tell the whole world that the elected Nationalist government was illegitimate.

These facts should make Labour very careful about offering a privileged status and solidarity to union leaders who, by their words, imply that they want to bring down the government. People, particularly new voters, are bound to start wondering what type of bedfellows the MLP cosies up to. The Times reported Mr Zarb on November 25 as saying: "You either come to the table of discussions or we'll topple you". That was the message the people at the Valletta protest approved in the presence of the Labour leadership. Even though in a later interview with this paper Mr Zarb tried to extricate himself from the hole he dug for himself.

He also threatened employers that if they were to frighten workers for following the GWU's instructions, they will find the GWU and the people behind their doors. Then Mr Zarb at the meeting in Paola on December 15 threatened that, if any of them are touched, the GWU will wipe them out. In a democratic country with a proper judicial system any language that suggests that the GWU will deal with the situation itself and not let the police do their stuff is unacceptable.

Maybe it would an honourable thing to do for Mr Brincat to remind Mr Zarb that when Dr Fenech Adami's nearest and dearest were "touched", the latter carried on fighting for democratic rights and did not use the language which demeans the user and those who applaud him and offer him solidarity.

One thing is certain, the episode surrounding the Sea Malta issue and the way the GWU has been acting lately, and the way it intends to carry on behaving once the festivities are over, have served as a timely eye-opener to all those who have taken for granted the democratic climate which Nationalist governments have always created. The MLP should condemn language which is not conducive to the maintenance of such democratic climate. If it fails to do so, it would be right for people to conclude that Labour's solidarity with the GWU amounts to a carefully executed strategic alliance.

Harry Vassallo's article is not appearing this week.