Editorial • 01 DECEMBER 2002

The undecided

To be or not to be an EU citizen? It's still more yes than no for the Maltese according to Friday's Xarabank survey but a small but significant percentage has moved from the undecided camp into the no segment since last month Although the percentage of those in favour of membership retains a lead over those against membership the number of undecided is too high to sit back and declare ‘Victory.’

And yet this is what is happening.

The delirious campaign against Europe is not gaining ground but simply confusing voters who should know better. Often individuals look at the short term instead of the long term.

To confuse matters even further, the European Union is distracted by political considerations, that are little short of pettyminded.

In a rush to have their Presidency snatch the title in confirming a10 member state enlargement, the Danish Presidency has gone out of its way in outlining a road map that leaves no room for flexibility. Small states, small minds? We should know something about it.

For a change the Maltese negotiators are right in taking a tough stance.

It may seem strange that a leader of this pro-Europe newspaper should query the dynamics of Europe, yet, we continue to look at accession as a means rather as an end.

We believe that we can gain and take from Europe, in reality Europe can live without us. It is Malta who will benefit from the economies of scale, from the diversity, from the lifted barriers, from the advantages of being in a club, of the standards that contribute to making Europeans proud of their culture and identity.

There are too many facts and figures to confirm all this, and yet, the opposition party which continues to believe that it upholds a social democratic agenda oppose Europe Union integration with a vengeance.

Those in that party who think differently are committed to silence in return for operating in the party and furthering their political careers.

In this battlefield, it is the undecided that count. The youth who are not university students: the unskilled workers, the self-employed, the underclass who all suspect that Europe will deprive them even further.

Is Malta getting bigger?

Far from the resonance of the European Union or the budget, another forgotten issue surfaces that impinges on our everyday life, traffic.

For years now, the immediate solution to more and more cars on the road is to construct more roads.

To counter the problem of parking, MEPA insists that parking lots or garages are constructed in urban areas. The shortsightedness is blatant.

No one seems to have realised that we have reached saturation point. On a small Island where it should theoretically take 10 minutes to cover around six to seven kilometres, the time needed has literally tripled. And this only takes into consideration the use of private vehicles.

There are no conditions or suggestions on controlling the number of cars on the road. No one seems to appear concerned that the exhaust fumes from cars, the noise, the constant traffic is leaving a deleterious effect on our health.

This and others should be the priority for the Awtorita’ ghat-Trasport Pubbliku.