News • 02 March 2003

The will of the people must prevail

Joe Saliba, secretary general of the Nationalist Party, tells Kurt Sansone there is only one way to interpret the referendum result

Come 9 March, Joe Saliba won’t be juggling figures with the result of the referendum. For him, victory or defeat, will be defined by the absolute majority of all valid votes cast.

"That is how the referendum result will be legally interpreted and that is how all elections in every democratic country are interpreted. Any other interpretation gives a false impression," the PN Secretary General stresses.

Saliba is not impressed with the argument that a moral victory would only be one that sees the ‘yes’ vote carried by more than a simple fifty plus one majority.

"Fifty plus one of all the valid votes cast has enough moral, political and legal strength on its own. Those who decide to toy around with other numbers are mistaken. We have always interpreted the results of elections that way and I see no reason for anybody to change the rules of the game because it is a referendum.

"I certainly can’t agree with the proposal that for the referendum to be valid it has to be carried by a 60 per cent majority, more so when the proposal comes from someone who is content to play games with the electorate."

Saliba expects the turnout on Saturday to be close to the 80 - 85 per cent mark. "The Maltese people have always participated wholeheartedly in the democratic processes of the country. The people have always shown that they want to decide for themselves. I have no doubt that the turnout will be close to 80 or 85 per cent, and that is a high turnout."

Saliba scoffs at the statement made by Labour Party deputy leader George Vella that a valid result would have to be calculated on the basis of all eligible voters rather than valid votes cast. "The Labour Party is wrong and it is a pity these arguments are being put forward by a politician. A politician who believes in democracy does not play around with numbers. Vella should accept what the people decide."

Saliba hopes the MLP will respect the people’s decision in the referendum. "It would do the country and the Labour Party a lot of good if the MLP understands that what counts is the electorate’s say."

The PN secretary general is not confident the Labour Party will change its stance on EU membership.

"I have head so many conflicting views from different exponents of the MLP viewpoint that I don’t know what position the party will adopt."

Everybody is already speculating on a possible date for the elections that will follow the referendum, and Saliba said the general election has been discussed within the PN structures.

"The date for the general election has never been discussed because that is the prerogative of the Prime Minister, but three possible scenarios have been debated. The first scenario sees the holding of a general election soon after the referendum. The second scenario is the holding of a general election at a later stage, possibly after the summer months. And the third scenario is going the whole hog until January 2004."

Saliba, however, says the decision on when to hold the general election will depend on Malta’s international obligations.

"On 16 April the Prime Minister will go to Greece and sign the Accession Treaty. There are also the referenda in the other candidate countries, which may have a bearing on the PM’s decision. But this does not mean the Nationalist Party is not ready for a general election."

As far as the Nationalist Party is concerned the issue of membership will be closed with the referendum and it does not bother Saliba that the Labour Party has already started its electoral campaign.

"In life there is time for everything. The wise person is the one who does the right things at the right time. Unfortunately, the Labour Party has not realised that, at the moment, the main issue is EU membership. It is using the wrong arguments.

"Now is the time for a referendum. The general election will be held at the opportune time. It does not worry me that the MLP has already embarked on its electoral campaign, because it shows that the party is out of touch with the circumstances of the moment."

Saliba does not agree with the argument that the ratification of the accession treaty would require two thirds of a majority in Parliament. "It is not the case," he says.

"A decision taken by the people in a referendum is higher than any other decision a politician can take. Furthermore, there is no conflict between the Constitution and EU membership. On the contrary I believe they are complimentary," Saliba stresses.

The secretary general defends the decision taken to focus the referendum campaign around the Prime minister, a move that relegated PN parliamentarians and candidates to the sidelines.

"EU membership is not a partisan issue. Eddie Fenech Adami is the Prime Minister of all Maltese and Gozitans and in every meeting he is not being referred to as the Nationalist Party leader. In this way the issue is being dealt with as a national issue. We would have had criticism from all sides had we utilised candidates and parliamentarians. We did not want anybody to accuse us of transforming a national issue into a partisan one.

"However, the referendum campaign has given people the space to speak and express their concerns. The dialogue meetings in the various localities have allowed people to come out and be protagonists of the debate."

With elections due to be held in 23 localities on the same day as the referendum, the local elections have been put on the backburner. Saliba argues that it is only natural that the main focus is the referendum given that it concerns a long-term decision. He explains that a large percentage of events related to the referendum campaign have been held in localities that face local elections.

"However, we could not push forward the different candidates because space was given to ‘ordinary’ people, experts and Labourites that have openly declared their support for membership."

Allowing a broad smile to appear on his face, Saliba says he is convinced the Nationalist Party will emerge victorious from the local elections. A higher turnout is expected due to the referendum and although traditionally, higher turnouts have always favoured the Labour Party Saliba anticipates that this time round more people from both sides would go out to vote.

Is it the end of the world if Malta decides to stay out of the EU?

"It’s not the end of the world because the world would still go on without us, but it is definitely the end for Malta. Uncertainty would grow and the country would lose its credibility on an international level. That would mean a crisis for foreign investment.

"It would be a big mistake, but I trust the Maltese people will take their destiny in there own hands and make the choice that will take Malta into the EU. My conviction does not come from surveys, experience has shown us that at crucial points in their history, the Maltese people have always made the right decisions."