Last Wednesday night, Malta’s Parliament elected to vote unanimously in favour of the Treaty which is to establish a Constitution for Europe.

That the Nationalist Members of Parliament’s vote would be “Aye” was never in doubt. For many years, since the original Maltese application to join the European Union, the PN has done its utmost to become a full member of this union. So much so that, repeatedly and without any let up, the party travelled to and from all possible venues to make our case for membership. This happened both from the government ranks and even during the years in opposition. No stone was left unturned in order to reach this goal.

Moreover, the present Nationalist Government has fully participated in the various fora to include in this treaty both those sections which are of particular importance to small economies and to island states as well as all those other items and regulations which will harmonise the binding primary laws regulating the Union. All concerned did more than their best, with the Prime Minister and Dr Michael Frendo (as Minister of Foreign Affairs) signing the said proposed Treaty on behalf of the nation.

The party and Government have been consistent in choosing the positive side, rather than fearing the challenges of tomorrow. The party intrinsically believes in the union, its setup and the need to further improve upon the good prevailing today. We accept that the road does not necessarily mean just plusses, but all in all the positive part by far outweighs any negative points.

The party insisted all the way that Malta’s future lay in membership of the European Union and that any other agenda could mean economic disaster and the outcasting of the nation as a whole. The party has been practical and pragmatic all along.

Over the past seven years, the vibes appearing on the horizon clearly indicated that choosing otherwise would have been an act of folly with irretrievable negative consequences.

MLP u-turn

The same can hardly be said of the Labour Party. Call it Old Labour or New Labour – the leader of the opposition left no stone unturned as of day one many years ago in trying to convince the nation that joining the European Union would be a horrific nightmare. So much so, that even Socialist allies from the continent, together with European Union officials who came here, were spoken about harshly and negatively and risked having their tongues bitten off or labelled members of the Taliban.

It’s all very true. Dr Sant went the whole hog down the road to try and prove his point. Mentally concocted illusions were deemed to be the run of the mill and instigating a substantial dose of fear within the party faithful must have been the top item on the party’s agenda.

Even when it came to decision time, Dr Sant tried to create a prevailing environment wherein not voting also meant saying “No”. It was no surprise, therefore, that he opted to say that a 46 per cent “No” vote was greater than a 53 per cent “Yes” vote. However, the subsequent April 2003 election must have pulled the carpet from under his feet. It was time to face reality and to accept that he was no winner but had come second in a two-man race.

The leader of the opposition and the Labour Party seem to have finally accepted reality. But it could also be that their decision to vote in favour of the Treaty and to work within the European Union, is a pragmatic initial step to try to win back those voters who do not agree with their euro-sceptic stance. These voters will not support Labour unless it genuinely becomes entrenched in the union.

The Labour Party administration has now been on the opposition benches for quite a few years and will definitely take any opportunity which may enhance their chances of one day returning to government. Hearsay has it that if a compromise with the devil is needed to ensure a Labour victory in the next election, then it’s on the cards.

Sit back

There is nothing better than a good cup of tea and sitting back in a comfortable sofa with time to ponder.

And when we ponder, we think.

And when we think, we form opinions.

And when we form opinions, we decide.

Let’s just hope that what we decide for our future and that of our country is based on truths, facts and history.

That way we will eventually vote for those who have shown consistency in their principles and policies and not those riding any wave that may be moving in that day’s wind direction.

This time the MLP has decided to do so and has voted with us – thus confirming that the PN was right all along.

Tony Abela is parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister