PN derides news that former Labour PM Alfred Sant wants to be MEP
Alfred Sant, prime minister between 1996-1998, announces he won’t stand for next elections.
22 November 2012, 12:00am
Matthew Vella
Matthew Vella
2 min read
Labour leader Alfred Sant had campaigned unsuccessfully against EU membership.
Former prime minister Alfred Sant has informed the Labour Party's deputy leader for party affairs that he will not standing for elections in 2013.
Sant, 64, said that after consulting with Labour leader Joseph Muscat, he will propose himself for a candidature for the European Parliament elections.
"After consulting with Dr Joseph Muscat, I have decided it is in the best interest of Labour that I do not present my candidature for the next general elections. Instead, my intention is that I proposed myself as a candidate for Labour in the European Parliament elections for 2014," Sant said in a letter to the PL's deputy leader.
Sant's candidature must be approved by a general conference of Labour delegates.
Sant led the Labour government of 1996-1998, one of his first political decisions having been the freezing of Malta's application for EU membership. He became Labour leader in 1992, having won an election against Lino Spiteri, who later became finance minster in the next Labour government.
He led a campaign against EU membership from 1998 onwards, proposing instead to have an association 'partnership' agreement with the EU and calling on Labour voters not to vote in the 2003 referendum on EU membership.
When the 'yes' vote won the EU referendum, Sant provoked some controversy when he announced that 'partnership' had won by including the number of abstentions to the voters who had voted no to EU accession.
The news was welcomed with some expected sceptism from the Nationalist Party, which said the choice of Sant to run for MEP "confirmed that Labour was still a eurosceptic party".
In a statement, the PN said Muscat's decision "to send Sant to the European Parliament" showed Labour to be eurosceptic, having led a campaign against EU membership.
"The director and principal actor against Malta's accession to the EU tried to deny students and workers the opportunities that EU accession has brought. Together Sant and Muscat wanted Malta not to benefit from the funds that have allowed the construction of infrastructural projects. Muscat's decision cannot be taken seriously, because his decisions are just not credible."
Matthew Vella, a freelance journalist at MaltaToday, was formerly executive editor at Malt...
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Dr. Sant kien jaf x inhi ewropa qabel kulhadd ghax ghex hemm. U sa fej niftakar jien, qatt ma kein kontra l-ewropa, imma ma kienx iz-zmien ezatt li nidhlu. Ukien aw ukoll min qal li niehdu mitt miljun jekk nidhlu fl EU, ghalfejn qed tiskantaw b Gorg Vella? Insomma zewgt politikanti serji u minghajr dell ta korruzzjoni, u haqqom ikunu MEP s.
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Sant was never against de facto EU membership. He preached caution, as he sensed that the Maltese, culturally and economically were not yet up to it. Remember, he knew Europe much better than most. So he logically, and in a business like fashion, suggested partnership. The PN thought otherwise, and when for the whole hog. Look what that got us. A national debt approaching €6.5 billions, a reduction by 45% of what we were promised by the EU, rendering us net contributors, and a burgeoning public sector still @ 40/45% hanging around the neck of the national economy.
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Since when is it a crime to be anti EU membership? If any of you don't like him don't vote for him. Do any of you honestly believe he will be worse than, for example, Vince Farrugia? After all Dr.Sant was proved right in a lot of his anti membership arguments. That does not in any way means that he does not have national interest at heart. So much for your believe in democracy and diversity!!
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VERA LI GOERGE VELLA JIXRAQLU IMMA DAK INHAR DAK IPPROVA IQARRAQ BIK U BIJA. TAL LABOUR JGHIDU MOD U JGHAMLU IEHOR.
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He is one of the best people to be an MEP, at least he has his feet on the ground, not blinded or overawed by A superior Europe, he can assert himself for Malta. And is a democrat, he did not humiliate his party, over power.
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Sant ma jaghamilx gieh lil Malta fl-Europa, kif nahsibha jien. Skond Mist. Parl 14066-sed-22d-8/6/98 Sant hareg bil-mohbi l-Inkjesta Muscat Azzoppardi, dik li investigat il-frame-up ta' missieri, Karm Grima dak li wehel bil-vjolenza tal-15/10/1979.Din kien ghamilha Dr. Efa, imma hbijha ghax staha li kixfet affarijiet li kemm il-PN u kemm l-MLP huma imdahhla fil-frame-up.Ghalhekk seraqha, fl-opinjoni tieghi biex inissi kollox Sant.
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@Passiflora. Maybe you can give some English language lessons, since you seem to be so bright in English! Or maybe my comment irritated you! Because there are many who make spelling mistakes and you never point out anything! Well, at least what I meant was clearly understood, even by you! Regards Sir!
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L-ironija hi li Alfred Sant hu l-aktar persuna rapprezentattive ta l-Ispirtu Ewropew f'Malta: kolt, kittieb, kritiku u intelletwali u liberali! Alfred Sant kien kontra li nidhlu fl-EU bhalissa: biex tirraguna hekk-u bil-provi, bil-fors tridt tkun Ewropew: min hu Ewropew min mhux kapaci jaghmelk analizi kritika u jiehu decizzjonijiet razzjonali? Qabbel li Dr Tonio Borg kulturalment u f'dawk li huma social rights Ewropew u tinduna lejn min joqrob il-likk! This , notwithstanding li bhala persuna privata Borg hu ragel li tista tiehu birra mieghu.
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The bottom line is that the Partit Laburista won four seats in the EU Parliament and the PN, with all its pomp and pro-EU canvassing won only 2. Eqirdu kemm tridu, izda b'Alfred Sant bhala MEP unur jaghmlilna lil Malta, bhall-4 l-ohra tal-PL.
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No problem issa nibghatu lil Silvio Zammit l-ex PN Vici tas-Sliema u joqghod jiehu l-appuntamenti ta Dr Sant. Fuq x'hiex tridhom jifthu halqhom tal-PN rigward Dr Sant, tghid mhux ser jghidu li ghamel bhalhom sar sinjur (bl-appuntamenti).
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Pantomina wahdek Alfred Sant...ma jmissekx tisthi tistqar hekk wara dak kollu li ippruvajt taghmel! EU tajjeb jew hazin ghal l-inqas oqghod ghal li ghidt mhux qiesek PINNUR!
Luke Camilleri •
@fenea—
U jkun jixraqlu il Dr. Gorg Vella ghax politikalment serju daqsu u bhal Alfred Sant lanqas joholmu li jkollhom tal -PN!
Issejhlha serjeta il-PNtomimi tal-PN biex jghazlu Kummissarju b'KOLLOX FL-INTERESS TAL-Partit...... jitwarrab John Dalli, jitwarrab bi French Promotion Tonio Borg li accetta kollox u addio principji, jithol fix-xena Simon Busuttil U XORTA GHADHOM BL-ISKALDI "zghar" kif issejjah il-Back bench Nazzjonalista!
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HALLUNA U KUNU FTIT POLITIKALMENT SERJI, kollkom PNtomimi : )
David Bongailas •
@ Fenea. taf x'inhu tad-dahk hafna ukoll ???? Li l-ghaziz partit tieghek johrog lil Vince Farrugia bhala kandidat.........hekk jonqos ukoll!!!
Lawrence Covin •
Quite apart from the politics involved, I notice the dismal English, right down to the spelling of simple words, used by contributors. One even invented a new word,hypocrism, and put it in capitals!
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He who rejects change is the architect of decay. Two human institutions that seem to reject progress and change are GonziPN and the cemetery.
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Many GonziPN supporters are really in a state of confusion and perplextion! They started to criticise Dr. Sant, since he was against full membership within the EU!!!!! Shall we start mentioning how many times top GonziPN officials have proved to be completly HYPOCRITS? Just a recent classic case, Tonio Borg had to sign a declaration where he's bound not to interfere against women's rights, which include abortion in Eddie Fenech Adami's wonderful EU institution! When I heard Tonio Borg spaeking in parliament during the divorce issue, I thought that I was listening to the Archbishop's PRO or private secretary! If that's not a definition of 'HYPOCRISIM', I don't know what else could be!!!!
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ISSA TAF X'JONQOS LI SIEHBU GORG VELLA JINHATAR KUMMISSARJU EWROPEW. DAN KIEN QALILNA LI MALTA MILJUN EWRO SE TIBDA TIEHU MILL EU. JEKK ISIR KUMMISSARJU IL MILJUN JIBDA JEHODOM HU BISS. HALLUNA U KUNU FTIT POLITIKALMENT SERJI.
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the joke of the year. l-ewwell ipprova min kollox biex ma jhallix lil malta issir membru shih fil eu u issa irid li hu jkun membru shih bhala mep. tafu tisthu jew?????????????
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Having Sant as their MEP candidate and Musact as thier leader will show that the MLP are still negative about the EU
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Alfred Sant TRIED to deny students the opportunities that EU accession has brought.
Dolores Cristina SUCCEEDED in denying the students the opportunites that EU accession has brought.
We shall not forget.
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Qatt smajtu lil b'xi nazzjonalist li irrifjuta li jircievi s-servizzi socjali minhabba li l-PN kien ivvota kontrihom?
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jisthi ukoll!!!!!!!!!. jien kont nahseb li mal pn kollox possibbli. milqugh hafna ikun fl ewropa ghat tfixxkil li ghamel biex malta tidhol fl unjoni. ara vera kaz ta l izpizjar milli ikollu itik.
Zack Depasquale •
@GL Calleja & Corbusier. At least he didn't become Presidentof Malta. Alfred Sant would be the best MEP Malta will ever have.As for u turns,least said ,soonest mended, remind me again, who was the politician that had to declare by writing the exact opposite of what he believes in to become European Commisioner.
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Manuvra bis-sens tal-PL!!
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GL Calleja, So according to you A. Sant political carrier should be finished just because we joined EU, right? Game over. Are you aware that there are many euro-skeptics within the EU parliament? Probably not.
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Jumping on the gravy train....seesm to be the trend these days.
maria aquilina •
Nawguralek li tkun Kummissarju Ewropew wara li jispicca Tonio Borg li biegh lil ruhu biex ha l-post. Zgur li int ma jkollokx ghalfejn tiffirma ittri umaljinti ghax qatt ma nafek ipokrita.
Luke Camilleri •
Malta will most certainly have a VOICE in Brussels!
A true Gentleman in the Local Politics Scene , and I say with talents that are not fully appreciated locally, but with great foresight and most definitely UNLIMITED TALENTS!
Best News of the day : )
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Mr Sant first you fight against Malta joining the EU, now you want to be a part of it. Some people call that HYPOCRITICAL. An MEP position is not a one fits all situation. You have to earn it the old fashion way, politics?
