It may just be a coincidence, but the decision to hold the election on 8 March does carry a lot of significance.

It was on 8 March five years ago, that the country voted for Malta to join the European Union, opening the way for a new chapter in the history of these islands.

The “yes” victory in the 2003 referendum, with the Nationalist Party leading the way in pushing for Malta to become one of 10 new EU member states, also brought with it one of the worst moments in Labour leader Alfred Sant’s political life.

In spite of the clear victory of the “yes” vote, Dr Sant claimed that the “no” vote had won, that the partnership concept advocated by the Malta Labour Party had emerged victorious. His non-acceptance of the result for what it was could have led to serious trouble, but in the end Dr Sant and his party were the ones to suffer the most.

Had he accepted the democratic decision made by the people, maybe the MLP would have won the election that was held a month later. But the people, in April 2003, confirmed their “yes” vote by giving a second consecutive term to the Nationalist Party in government and, a few days later, then PN leader and Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami travelled to Greece to sign Malta’s accession treaty.

Yes, 8 March 2003 was a significant day in Malta’s political history. And the Nationalist Party will no doubt make the most of the date recurrence during the election campaign. With the MLP insisting that it wants to reopen negotiations with the EU, what happened five years ago is still relevant today.

The MLP has not realised the mistake it is committing in saying, over and over again, that it wants to adjust the package that was negotiated with the EU. The years preceding membership were a time of uncertainty for the Maltese people, a time that negatively affected the country’s economic performance as it struggled to decide on its political course, a time when foreign investors were holding back because they could not take risks in a country that was still to make up its mind.

If elected to government, and if the MLP carries on with the idea of going back to the negotiating table with the EU, the country will be thrown back to those awkward times.

This is why the date chosen for the election could be used wisely by the Nationalist Party to remind the people of what we went through to arrive where we are today, and what could happen if, on 8 March this year, the people had to vote for the Labour Party.

Five years ago, through the results of the referendum, the country embarked on its road within a European bloc that has given it stability, security and economic growth. Through EU membership, Malta has already started to take a new shape and this progress will continue to be registered if we do not give unnecessary jolts.

That the PN is banking on the EU factor – although, of course, matters are so different today than what they were before the 2003 election – have also been made clear in the slogan that the party has selected for the campaign. The choice of the word “iva” (yes) before the “together everything is possible” addition goes a long way in saying that the PN is still the only party that really believes in EU membership.

In a way, the PN is trying to target those voters who are not Nationalist by tradition, but voted “yes” in the 2003 referendum and PN in the subsequent election just to secure Malta’s place in the EU. It is telling them that the PN is the only party that can guarantee a safe and solid membership, while the MLP has still to accept the decision taken in 2003.

And the MLP has fallen right into the trap by saying that it would renegotiate Malta’s EU package.