Will the MLP boycott the EU referendum?

Boycotting the European Union referendum is one of the options being considered by the Labour Party, party general secretary Jimmy Magro said.

There has been speculation recently about the position the MLP will take over the referendum, even though the party has openly declared that it believes a general election should decide the EU issue.

"Our position is crystal clear - the referendum does not have any value and that only an election is binding. It is an election which will change the conditions in the country," Mr Magro said.

He said the issue of boycotting the referendum had been raised within the MLP parliamentary group together with other options. But no final decision has been taken.

Sources said the MLP was mooting the idea since the result would be "less relevant" should less than 50 per cent of the electorate turn out to vote.

The Labour Party will take the decision on the referendum at the opportune moment and "in the interest of the country", Mr Magro said.

Asked whether this strategy could create uncertainty in the country, Mr Magro said it was the prime minister who was fomenting indecision by delaying the announcement of the referendum date.

"There are also rumours that the government won`t even hold a referendum."

Alfred Mifsud, a Labour candidate in the coming general election and one of the party`s leading exponents, was clear in his views about the referendum.

"If the government insists on holding a referendum before or concurrently with the election, then I would prefer seeing the MLP not just promoting a `no` vote but to actually widen its net to include abstentions and invalidations to ensure that the referendum is not considered as the last word on the matter."

Mr Mifsud felt it was damaging for the country to hold a referendum on such crucial matters as EU membership just a few months before a general election.

"A referendum of such importance needs the serenity of distance from a general election. This strategy could suit the PN in an effort to weaken Labour before a general election, in which the PN will be quite naked concerning its performance on the domestic front."

He said it was also likely that people would vote `no` in the referendum for the wrong reasons. However, it was not in the interest of a new Labour government to have its mandate conditioned by a `no` vote from a referendum before the election, Mr Mifsud said.

When contacted, Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami said he would rather wait for the MLP`s official position on the referendum before giving any comments.

The prime minister recently said that it had not yet been decided whether to hold an EU referendum before or after a general election or whether to hold them both on the same day. The decision would be taken at the opportune moment "in the best interests of the country".

Iva Movement main spokesman Joanna Drake described the holding of a referendum as the most liberal form of ideology in a democratic society.

"The country`s leaders owe the people a referendum. There is no question about it. It should be held and people should go out to vote. It`s the opportunity of a lifetime."

Dr Drake reiterated, however, that the general election and referendum should not be held on the same day as these were "completely separate" issues.

She believed that the referendum should not be managed by the political parties but rather by the representatives involved in the campaign.

A commission made up of the various `yes` and `no` lobbies - from the Chamber of Commerce to the political parties to CNI and the Iva Movement - could be set up to organise the referendum, she said.

One of the problems with Ireland`s last referendum, when the electorate gave the thumbs down to the Nice Treaty, was that civil society was completely left out of its organisation, Dr Drake said.

Nationalist Party general secretary Joe Saliba held different views on the matter and said that the electoral commission had the necessary experience to oversee the referendum.

"We believe the country has the right systems in place to organise this referendum. However, yes, I also believe that everybody should have a voice in the referendum," Mr Saliba said.

He stressed that the referendum was a non-partisan issue and a `yes` vote for the EU did not mean a vote for the PN.

Reacting to the MLP`s stand, Mr Saliba said that no political party had the right to ignore the people`s wishes.

"It would be a big pity if the MLP were indeed considering boycotting the referendum. I believe this decision would be driven by the fact that the Labour Party fears a `yes` vote. There is no other reason why the party should ignore its outcome," Mr Saliba said.

Mr Saliba said that polls were showing that EU membership enjoyed the support of the majority of the electorate.

Anthony Agius Decelis, general secretary for the Campaign for National Independence, said he believed there was still "a large imbalance" of information in favour of the EU.

He would not be drawn into commenting into what the CNI would do should the MLP decide to boycott the referendum.

"This is a decision which would need to be taken by our committee. But at the moment we are lobbying strongly for a `no` vote."