Dr G.G. Debono’s reply to my last letter confirms that he is scared of tackling the main issue which started this exchange of correspondence – my criticism of Stefano Mallia’s suggestion to make the possible withdrawal of Malta from the EU subject to a two-thirds parliamentary vote, by including such a clause in the Constitution.
The learned doctor does not want readers to know his opinion on this. He has also steered clear of the subject of “true sovereignty” and “independence”. To him, the fact that we still can speak our own language, have a parliament, elections, jobs, etc., means that we are still a truly sovereign and independent country! But even the former USSR ‘republics’ had their own language, parliament, elections, jobs, etc., but they had to bow their heads to the diktats of Russia. In our case, it is the diktats of Brussels! No wonder former President Michael Gorbachev asked the EU: “Why are you trying so hard to create in Europe what we have dismantled in the USSR?”!
On the ‘flyer’ which was distributed all over Malta and Gozo, warning gullible voters that voting ‘NO’ would end up making Malta “African”, Dr Debono had the cheek to state this was a reality at that time! And adds: “it made supreme sense”! And he accuses me of scaremongering!
· Today, I will take Dr Debono up on his statement that I have failed to mention the “procession” of EU officials, dignitaries, etc., who came over or sent messages to the Maltese people, to influence voters into voting for EU membership. Besides Gunther Verheugen who, on 18 October 2002, warned the Maltese people that if we voted for Labour’s proposal of a partnership agreement with the EU, we would have “less influence, less money, less jobs and less democracy (sic!)! I will only mention those who came or sent messages during the last couple of months before the referendum.
Secretary of State in the Finnish Foreign office, Anti Johannes Satuli (23/1/2003); Gunther Verheugen, again (25/1/2003); EU Ambassador Ronald Gillmore (31/1/2003); Diana Wallis, leader of UK Liberal Democrats in the European Parliament (5/2/2003); Luis Riera-Figueras, responsible for pre-adhesion preparation (6/2/2003); Italian Ambassador A. Memmo (6/2/2003); EU Ambassador Ronald Gallimore, again (12/2/2003); Prof. Ali Bayer (12/2/2003); EU Budget Commissioner Michaele Schreyer (13/2/2003); Romano Prodi, again (14/2/2003); Jean-Luc Dehaene (15/2/2003); Jack Straw, British Foreign Secretary (19/2/2003); Ronald Gallimore, again, saying that the “partnership option being proposed by the Opposition does not exist and probably never will” and yet so many partnerships or special relationship agreements with non-EU states have been signed by the EU! (21/2/2003 and 25/2/2003); Reinhard Buetikofer, leader of the German Greens (26/2/2003); Sally Sexton, Executive Director of the ILO (28/2/2003); Lionel Price, managing director of Fitch’s Credit Agency (28/2/2003); Dominic de Villepin , French Foreign Minister (28/2/2003); Arhi Paluosos, EU Commission’s negotiator with Malta, who cast serious doubts on the possibility of a partnership agreement (2/3/2003) and, finally, Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, who made a strong appeal to the Maltese people to vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum! (6/3/2003).
Please note that what all the above-mentioned had said about the options on which the Maltese people were about to vote had been widely reported in the pro-EU media, including all the English language newspapers, the PN’s media, PBS, RTK, etc., apart from the daily dose of EU propaganda that was being dished out by MIC, headed by the present DynastyPN leader Simon Busuttil! Does Dr G.G. Debono not consider the above list to be “a procession”?
Finally, Dr Debono ended his reply by once again expressing his gratitude that “our children, grandchildren and generations to come will grow up as European citizens and not be eternally condemned to isolation”! Tell that to the Swiss, Norwegians, Icelanders, Liechtensteiners, Monegasques, Andorrans and the citizens of all the other non-EU countries! I note that he did not use the word “Maltese” but “European”. It seems he is already convinced that Malta – as an independent and truly sovereign nation – no longer exists. Imagine when a Federal EU State comes into being, as Barroso and his cronies in Brussels are intending will happen!
Eddy Privitera
MOSTA