I write in reply to the letter Privatisation by Mark Grech (TMID, 8 July) in which he stated that he “did not understand” the Malta government’s “line of reasoning” in saying it was consulting people when it “was clear” that a decision to privatise the Malta Shipyards had “already been taken”.

Mr Grech went on to say that the government was only “pretending to consult the people, the unions, the opposition” when these had “already been presented with a fait accompli”.

Even though there is certainly no harm in consultation (whatever the subject discussed), any government is elected to govern and to rule and, since decisions are there to be taken in the national interest, then if the government has concluded that the Malta Shipyards’ privatisation is in the collective interest and for the common good and in the interest of the shipyard workers themselves, the government should conclude the Malta Shipyards privatisation process and should take no heed of Maltese socialist hypocritical jeremiahs.

Incidentally, since Lawrence Gonzi, in his parliamentary speech on 2 July, claimed that the government will be discussing the Malta Shipyards privatisation plans with the European Commission within the coming weeks and, since also, the government will be making a case for the European Commission to accept a plan which might see the government absorbing a Malta Shipyards accumulated debt of e100 million, one can suggest to the government to demand that the General Workers’ Union and the Malta Labour Party foot the bill should they be found out to be putting spokes in the wheels of this plan with the not so hidden aim of wrecking the privatisation process.

Eddie Torpiano

Floriana