Putting people at the core of politics

Labour spokesman Chris Cardona believes we are all suffering from an overkill of EU facts and figures. But, he tells MIRIAM DUNN, the government is still not playing ball and letting the people know that there are alternatives to full membership

He admits that it would be "a little bit embarrassing" if the Labour Party wins the next election but is faced with a positive vote in a referendum on the European Union.

And MLP spokesman on foreign affairs Chris Cardona is also keeping tight-lipped on how his party would deal with such a dilemma, especially whether it would discard the result.

"We would definitely have to discuss it internally," he says. "Certainly I think we must remember that the referendum was part of the Nationalists’ manifesto, so it was put together at a time when the referendum law in Malta was only consultative.

"Now there is also the abrogative referendum. So my opinion is that a referendum in Malta on the EU issue binds only the Nationalist government."

Although it is the first subject I broach, Chris tells me he thinks people have heard enough about the EU and are now switching off when the subject is mentioned.

"In a way this is unfortunate, since it’s my area!" he says with a smile. "But I honestly believe that people have become bored. They’re realising that they’re only hearing about subjects in relation to the EU."

And it is the fact that the MLP is offering a different approach that is winning people over, the Labour spokesman adds.

"We are proposing new initiatives, fresh opportunities, we are looking at ways of getting new investment, improving education aland tackling environment problems. I think we should try to solve our own problems before we join the EU.

"This is what the people want to hear about – things that affect them directly," he says.

But surely, irrespective of the consequences of overkill, the public needs to be informed for a referendum on such a key subject, I venture?

"Yes, people need information," he replies. "But they should be informed on all the options.

"It is not a matter of only telling the voters how full membership will affect Malta. They have the right to be told whether there are other solutions, alternative ways of negotiating with the EU, what those ways are, their benefits and disadvantages, and how such packages could be negotiated.

"The problem is that the government is only giving the people the low-down on immediate and full membership."

He stresses that it is inaccurate to perceive the EU in these terms.

"The EU is a regional organisation and recognises different types of membership," he explains. "If it did not, it would be totalitarian, after all."

I ask Chris if he can explain, in a nutshell, what the MLP believes to be the best relationship for Malta to have with the EU.

"Our idea is one of partnership, in which Malta obtains special arrangements for our specific needs," he answers. "We have seen this type of relationship developed in various countries - North African ones and also others.

"For example, Israel has special arrangements with the EU on education, research and development and twinning agreements with the universities. Why shouldn’t Malta do likewise?"

But what about EU Commissioner for Enlargement Guenther Verheugen’s warning that membership is not an ‘a la carte’ menu from which countries can pick and choose?

"That’s true. But it’s full membership which is not a la carte. Applicant countries have to transpose the whole acquis," he answers. "But you can choose when you’re negotiating special agreements, which is what the MLP wants to do.

"Unfortunately, Verheugen was given the impression by our ‘friends’ that the Labour Party wanted to get all the benefits of full membership just by being selective, so we had to explain to him that that wasn’t what we intended to do."

I ask Chris whether he feels that the MLP’s ‘Switzerland in the Mediterranean’ concept has been the butt of too many jokes to be taken seriously any more.

"It’s just a phrase, a slogan," he replies. "It doesn’t mean we’re looking to bring cheese or goats into Malta.

"It was a way of showing that the idea of a partnership with the EU rather than full membership is possible. And I think it has worked, because now everybody is beginning to understand that."

Are they, though?

"I believe so. People tell me they’re starting to comprehend the concept of a partnership with the EU," is his answer.

Chris admits that the government could be trying to distort the MLP’s vision and give the idea that the party is against the EU.

"But this is simply not true," he stresses. "I attend most of the EU joint parliamentary committees. I visit Brussels regularly and went to the COSAC meeting of candidate countries in Madrid.

"The MLP is certainly not against the EU. If anything, the hard work we are doing and the vision we have are clear signs that we’re in favour of it."

But what about the government’s claim that if Malta doesn’t join the EU in this wave of applicants it would have missed the boat for years to come?

"This is something of a white elephant to me," he answers. "The government has been giving this warning for a very long time.

"My question is, why didn’t they apply to join in 1987? Why did they wait till 1990? Why didn’t they get in with the first batch of applicants - the EFTA countries - when Germany was holding the presidency and Helmut Kohl was supposedly promising us membership?"

Chris’ interest in politics dates back to the time he was working at Super One news agency as a journalist on the radio.

"At the time I was a court reporter, which fitted in with my studies since I was reading law," he explains. "Then when the TV station was launched I began anchoring the news with Simone Cini."

He explains that his first dabble with politics was the local council elections in Birkirkara which he contested successfully.

"I wasn’t really sure about moving up to the general elections, since I was still at university," he admits. "Then, after weighing everything up, I said to myself that if this was the career I wanted to pursue why not?

"This was 1996 and I was convinced the MLP would win those elections, so strategically it seemed the right time."

Aged just 24, Chris was proved right and was also by-elected for the Birkirara, Balzan and Lija district.

It was a hectic time in his life, since he finished his law degree, got married and was elected during a short space of time.

But hard work paid off and in the 1998 elections Chris managed to increase his votes tremendously.

But, I venture, there must have also been disappointment at the election result.

"My initial thought was that we should never have held an election," he says. "In fact, I thought I had made a mistake, since I was one of the people that, beforehand, promoted the idea of going for an election in 1998."

So does he still believe that calling an early election was an error?

"No. Now, with hindsight I think it would have been impossible to continue governing. We would have wound up an impotent government," he answers. "It was quite obvious that the situation was holding the Labour government back from doing what it wanted to do."

Chris admits he felt very sad at the way relations between Mintoff and the MLP broke down and says he hopes one day there will be some sort of reconciliation.

"Mintoff, for me, was and still is by far the greatest politician our land has ever had," he says. "Looking at his ideas in the context of when they were implemented, we can easily still say today that he was no ordinary man. Most of what we have today is owed to Mintoff."

And moving on from those difficult times, does Chris think the MLP has picked itself up?

"Yes, the party is definitely on an up," he says. "Initially, we had to win back our grass roots and attract the lost voters. We have concentrated on that for three years and I think we have done a good job."

Chris believes that, ironically, it was the MLP’s determination to be as transparent as possible which lost the party vital support.

"Unfortunately, I think some Labour supporters missed out on promotions and suchlike because we were afraid we would be accused of favouritism!" he says. "Obviously political discrimination is wrong. But at the same time, everybody must be treated the same and that is what we’re going to do this time round."

I ask him whether he believes the MLP is winning people over or whether any shift in the party’s favour has more to do with the Nationalist government’s failure to deliver.

"We have now had three Nationalist legislatures during which the same contributory factors have kept cropping up and producing a negative image," Chris answers. "Arrogance, taking office for granted, missing out on new ideas, lacking new initiatives, people who have been there for 30 or so years. The complaints we hear about have been doing the rounds for years."

So what would be a new Labour government’s priorities?

"A new MLP government will be returning to core issues – we are, after all, essentially the workers’ party," he says. "Our three priorities will be education, health and the environment."

And what, I ask, does he believe to be the determining factors at the polls next year?

"I think it’s always the same pattern; people will see what they have in their pockets," he replies. "I remember that in the elections of 1987, the PN was expected to win by a large majority - some 30,000 votes - but instead the margin was only about 4,000 because people were largely satisfied with what they had in their pockets, even amid allegations of corruption and violence.

"Had it not been for the Raymond Caruana tragedy I think the PN might have even lost the election."

Having touched on the subject of violence, I ask Chris whether he is convinced that the MLP has done enough to distance itself from those dark days.

"Yes, of course," is his immediate answer. "I don’t have to make any apologies for violence and neither does Alfred Sant nor anyone who’s in the Labour Party.

"We made it clear from the outset that it would not be tolerated and I would certainly leave the MLP if there was any violence coming from inside the party."

And does he believe the next election will be a close one?

"Yes, as always," he replies. "As to the referendum, who knows what the outcome will be or if there’ll even be one, because there is one line of thought that the EU is telling the government to hold back on the referendum for fear it could lose it.

"The MLP’s argument is that a general election result in its favour gives the party a mandate to move in a direction other than full EU membership.

"It would be a yes vote to Labour and the party’s policies, including its foreign policy. And I see the main difference being that our policies do not have the EU at their core. This is the problem with the PN’s policies – that everything orbits around the EU.

"Our stance is different – our core is the national interest and the citizen."