The Prime Minister's latest comments on Malta's possible membership of the Board of Peace proposed by US President Donald Trump represent yet another U-turn by Robert Abela, the Nationalist Party said Tuesday
Speaking in Parliament just a few days ago, Abela stated that he was "not excluding anything, and not excluding that we could join".
However, following the significant internal divisions this statement caused within the Labour Party, it appears that the Prime Minister has once again changed course. When questioned by journalists yesterday, he replied that the format is not ideal and that many questions remain unanswered, the PN said.
This is precisely what the PN has been saying from the outset. The PN said it has consistently maintained that Malta cannot support a proposal that lacks a clear framework, and that any new initiative cannot and must not weaken international rule of law or undermine the ongoing work for peace carried out by international organisations such as the United Nations. The PN said it has also made it clear that Malta must remain a neutral state that actively works towards peace and security by upholding a policy of non-alignment in full respect of international law.
It is evident that the backlash faced by Abela led him to make this U-turn. Among the first to openly oppose the Prime Minister's position was the Labour Party's own President, Alex Sciberras, who immediately stated that Malta should not participate. He was followed by several Labour officials, MPs and other exponents, including Edward Zammit Lewis and Nisa Laburisti.
The same view was shared by former Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer, Jason Micallef, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, Evarist Bartolo, Maria Camilleri, Carmen Sammut, Aleks Farrugia, the National Youth Council of Malta, several other political parties, and various civil society organisations.
The PN also recalls that, were it not for its MP Mario de Marco pressing the Prime Minister in Parliament, to this day we would not know that the Government received an "informal" invitation to join this initiative. We still do not know how, when and by whom this invitation was made, nor what conditions are being imposed on our country as part of this invitation.
The PN reiterated the call made on Sunday by the Leader of the Opposition, Alex Borg, for the Government to come before Parliament for a full debate before any decision is taken, so that all outstanding questions on this matter are properly addressed.
"Our country needs a Prime Minister who defends the interests of the Maltese people. Not a Prime Minister who says one thing and then, when he realises everyone is against him, makes a U-turn. Nor a Prime Minister who changes his position with every shifting wind," the PN said.