News • 23 March 2003

EU bulletin is PN programme

ST JULIANS - "This is a national programme, and nothing in this programme smells of partisanship…", writes PN leader Eddie Fenech Adami in his foreword to the PN’s 2003 electoral manifesto.

Biex Malta Tikber fl-Ewropa (For Malta’s growth in Europe), was launched yesterday during the PN’s general conference at the Intercontinental Hotel, a 32-page document extending government’s EU negotiations into the PN’s electoral campaign.

The European Union is the overarching concept throughout most of the document, with proposals signalling the completion of 1998 promises and the gains of the EU negotiations.

"EU membership gives us a stamp of trust and stability. It gives different benefits to foreign companies wanting to invest in Malta. It helps those Maltese firms exporting to Europe. It helps the production sector financially, it helps the self-employed, small enterprises and workers’ training."

The EU will help Malta. This is the message of the PN’s manifesto, but the referendum is over. That this electoral manifesto seems to skim over the government’s negotiations shows a lot about what is on the PN’s mind right now. The EU and the consolidation of the referendum result in the general elections come 12 April.

The roads conundrum has also been given attention.

There is no mention, however, of much needed reform within the over-staffed public sector or of the social services and pensions.

In electoral terms, the Labour Party does not perceive Mintoff as a threat anymore. The Mintoffians that deserted the MLP after 1998 are now back in the fold, but reconciliation with Dom Mintoff would help Sant strengthen his position within the party. Ahead of the general election, reconciliation would be a bonus for the MLP.

Ever since Dom Mintoff returned from oblivion last year with his Front Maltin Inqumu (Malta Arise Front), the former Prime Minister never hid his animosity toward Alfred Sant.

Mintoff blamed Sant for alienating the Labour Party from its working class roots. He even described Sant’s proposal for holding a second referendum as an "idiocy" (paprata). However, the tide has slowly shifted.

The FMI did not have a high profile campaign in the run up to the referendum with Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici being the front man for televised debates.

However, following the referendum the FMI hit the streets with one meeting after the other in which the main speaker was always Dom Mintoff. The message pushed forward by Mintoff is as simple as it can get; he encourages his listeners not to vote for the Nationalist Party in the next general election.

On Tuesday in his birthplace, Bormla, Mintoff was greeted warmly by a sizeable crowd of sympathisers. There were no signs of animosity similar to those witnessed when Mintoff was a guest on Xarabank broadcast from Bormla’s main square last year.

When Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici introduced Dom Mintoff as the father of Malta’s neutrality and freedom the crowd applauded.

In masterly fashion Mintoff stood up and asked the crowd to observe at least half a minute’s silence to commemorate the memory of General Workers’ Union section secretary Tony Coleiro, who died in December. The half-minute of silence never came as Mintoff rambled on with his speech.

But the Coleiro mention was an unexpected sign of goodwill. Despite being close to Mintoff during the turbulent months between 1996 and 1998, Coleiro had openly criticised Mintoff last year for attacking the MLP. The rift between the two reached its climax when Coleiro and other people heckled Mintoff on Xarabank.

People close to Mintoff admit there seems to be a more reconciliatory approach between the Labour Party and ix-Xih (The Old Man) but they are reluctant to state whether both sides will eventually bury the hatchet. The feeling among Cottonera Labourites, who still hold Mintoff in high esteem, is that just before the election Sant and Mintoff will smoke a peace pipe together. If that were to happen Freedom Day would be the ideal occasion.

However, in typical Mintoff style, the former premier never reveals his cards. He still attacks the obstinacy of Alfred Sant, but the criticism is nowhere near what it was in 1998.

kurt@maltamag.com