Considering that the year 2012 is still in its infancy, we are already talking about it as being an Election year and waiting for the Prime Minister to announce the date. Last year was a somewhat turbulent one as the electorate was called to vote on the divorce issue after a backbencher from the government’s side presented a Private Members Bill to the Speaker of the House. When the Bill was presented in 2010, it was considered by one and all, as Archbishop Paul Cremona OP put it, like a ‘bolt out of the blue’.

Soon after, other people climbed on the bandwagon and came out to show their approval of the Divorce Law. The Prime Minister seemed to be held to ransom unless this Bill was not discussed in Parliament or put to a referendum, The Leader of the Opposition took every opportunity to make this issue his own because since taking the leadership of the Labour Party he pronounced himself in favour of a Divorce Law even though at the same time he declared that he is a practising ‘Catholic’. He also confirmed this in Parliament during the divorce debate.

In The Times of 19 March 2011, Archbishop Cremona stated that the Church expects and urges those who profess to be its members, to contribute to this debate according to their Christian values as proclaimed by Our Lord Jesus Christ; otherwise they would be living a contradiction.

The question put to the electorate was rushed through Parliament, and seemed to be a ‘dishonest’ question

On 28 May 2011, 73 per cent of the population cast their vote. The result is known to all that 53 per cent voted in favour of the divorce motion as presented by the Leader of the Opposition with the support of the government MP who had presented the Private Members Bill the year before.

This is now considered a ‘thing of the past’. However, we now have to look to the future as the General Election beckons. It is to be said that soon after the Divorce Law was enacted, new ideas were cropping up on the issue of gays and lesbian rights where it is being proposed that ‘same-sex unions should be legalised’. Once again we have heard the Leader of the Opposition expressing himself in favour of new legislations to give these people rights such as so-called ‘marriages’ and ‘child adoptions’.

Whenever the Opposition party pronounces on such issues, it seems that it has no other election issues of relative importance other than the above and the utility bills. Political parties should be going to the electorate with a clear vision and a good electoral manifesto.

The electorate would have to decide which party is to lead the country in the next five years. Maybe people would be divided on various issues if ever they were presented in sound manifestos of the respective parties.

However, the most important issue in the next General Election for those who consider themselves as truly practising Catholics are the teachings of the Catholic Church.

Goodwill Catholic voters would be looking for the truth to enable them to decide when they go out to vote. It looks quite clear that people get confused when they hear certain political personalities and those in our Church hierarchy express themselves in favour of such legislations, which, we may recall, is what took place when certain ‘learned’ theologians spoke in favour of the Divorce Law.

Prima facie, the majority of the population declare themselves as practising Catholics However, a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political programme or a politician that contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals Some things are always wrong, and no one should vote in favour of them, directly or indirectly. Some citizens vote in favour of these evils or vote for candidates who propose to advance them. Thus, Catholics should not vote for anyone who intends to push programmes or laws that are intrinsically evil.

The five non-negotiable issues are:

Abortion

Euthanasia

Foetal stem cell research

Human Cloning

Homosexual ‘marriage’

When political manifestos are so presented to the electorate, the electorate should ask and demand clear replies from all those prospective candidates knocking at our doors. What is their position regarding all the above? This to confirm the candidates’ beliefs in their Catholic faith. In all probability they will all say that they are not in favour of these issues, but when elected they will all toe the party line unless they are given a ‘free’ vote.

Henry S. Pace

SLIEMA