Why did Alfred Sant remain silent?

Alfred Sant missed an important occasion to assure the minds of Yes voters on his intentions regarding future MLP-EU relations when he refused to answer a question on the referendum at a meeting with university students.

His silence is an evil omen for the country.

It means he has not changed from his hard line attitude towards the EU. He had spelt out his intentions during the 2003 parliamentary debate on the amendments to the Constitution of Malta following the signing of the EU Treaty. Labour voted against the constitutional amendments related to the EU Treaty. So, the amendment may now easily be changed by the majority party on its own.

Dr Sant made it absolutely clear that Labour were voting against the ratification treaty itself and not just the constitutional amendment related to it.

He said: "In the House of Representatives, the Labour Party represents this 48 per cent of the Maltese people. Now we will continue to work so that we carry with us the absolute majority of the Maltese. For this reason we will vote against the Bill, which the government has brought before us to ratify the agreement of membership which it signed with the European Union".

Mysteriously he added that, although the question of EU membership was settled by the elections, "what today we consider as decided for certain may be re-opened completely much earlier than we may suppose because events may occur, not necessary locally but also internationally, which change all that we today consider will happen tomorrow, whatever it may be".

In other words, Dr Sant wants freedom of action notwithstanding the people's verdict at the referendum. That is why he reaffirmed his idea that the No vote had won the referendum. That is why he remained silent before the university students.

This is what Dr Sant thought in 2003.

He still thinks in the same manner five years after, as the MLP's unjustified black assessment on the euro proves.

These declarations are echoed by the anti-EU lobby CNI which, as I reported as recently as two weeks ago, declared in l-orizzont that they are fighting for an electoral victory to free Malta from EU membership.

Incidentally, in yesterday's weekly column in l-orizzont reserved to Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici's CNI, it was clearly stated to all readers: "The aim of CNI's campaign remains the independence from the European Union. Through membership we did not remain independent and the Maltese people did not remain sovereign to decide which policies are to rule us for the next five years".

The basic question for Yes voters remains: If the MLP does not have the agenda of membership, why not accept that membership is to be decided only by a future referendum and not by the parliamentary majority of the day.

If the MLP genuinely believes that membership is not a switch-on-switch-off-option as it declared in its policy document Bidu Ġdid, why not recognise the Yes victory at the referendum and separate it finally from partisan issues discussed at general elections. Why not promise that any re-negotiations with the EU be first submitted to another referendum? Can the MLP strategists, like George Vella, depicting the MLP as now being pro-EU, explain why Labour has not endorsed the constitutional amendments they voted against five years ago?

Why not close the loophole Dr Sant referred to in his speech by having it amended by a two-thirds majority?

Does not all this put added pressure on Alternattiva Demokratika?

AD's Harry Vassallo wants votes of any disgruntled Nationalists from the 10th district, the biggest pro-EU voting district at the referendum and the general elections. These predominantly Yes voters demand a clear statement their vote will not be used by AD to ally themselves with eurosceptic Labour. Coalition or no coalition.

To get elected, Dr Vassallo, being the sole AD candidate on the 10th district requires the preferences of voters who probably will express their number one preference to a PN candidate. Can Dr Vassallo state that, should his preferences be mainly shared with other PN candidates, he will respect his voters by not allying himself with Dr Sant's party?

It is very sad for Maltese politics that the two leading exponents of the non-governing parties continue to hide their true political intentions for after the elections. If so, then it is better to trust who, however imperfect, is crystal clear from before the elections where he wants us and our youth to go, safely: Further on the road of EU integration.

Yes, that's what we want for our peace of mind.