The Party is Over

Once upon a time in Malta we had political parties with different ideologies that were known to the people and that the people loved or hated, but in which they worked relentlessly and selflessly to see that ideology take shape and govern our beloved country. Now, that time is over and the time for political parties is over – ideologies have been replaced by those dictated by convenience and the people in the party still work relentlessly but selfishly instead of selflessly to the extent that nowadays there is no distinction between one party and the other.
Up to twenty years ago, we knew that the Malta Labour Party was the party for the socialists and that the Nationalist Party was the party for the conservatives. But nowadays, after sixteen years of Nationalist Government, we sincerely can no longer say that it is still the right-wing party. Its policies were dictated not by its ideology but by the affirmation that they can be exchanged for political mileage. They have introduced what was until some time known to be as ‘socialist measures’ to the extent that they prefer to keep on sending wages to ‘idle workers’ than restructure in the conservative way so as not to lose votes and the general election. However, I can safely say that notwithstanding, they were wise enough not to let socialist people interfere at their headquarters and in their party.
Within Labour the case is more pitiful. Before Sant, Labour had its own foreign and domestic policy. Whether you like it or not, it left behind it a legacy of fruitful government companies like Air Malta, Mid-Med Bank and others and a clear and strong foreign policy based on neutrality and non-alignment. Now we do not know what Labour is anymore. We have witnessed policies dictated by the exigencies of the moment – something that has betrayed most of its supporters. We have witnessed the silence of Labour in matters regarding Labour under the previous leadership. We have witnessed the extermination within Labour of those Labourites who were either not ready to accept dictatorship or who appeared to be too smart for the leadership.
But the worse thing for Labour is that it has allowed the Nationalists to creep in within its structures. First of all, it has allowed ex-ardent Nationalist supporters to contest the general elections and posts within its administration.
This is something which must have never taken place because such people, although they may mean well, tend to cause more harm than good to the party. You may not notice but believe it or not ex-party supporters who join the opposite party tend to become the most ardent supporters to the extent that their actions are most of the time not based on genuine party love but on the their vendetta to their once ‘beloved party’.
We notice this on television, on the way they expound their ideas and on most of the times they are more of a liability rather than an asset to the party.
It is the same with foreign policy. Now that we have joined the European Union we know that we have to abide by the foreign policy of the Union whether this pleases us or not. So it is superfluous for our political parties to dictate any foreign policy different to that of the EU. Labour’s policy of neutrality and non-alignment is now dead and it is all a sham for it and its foreign policy spokesman to go to other countries and try to convince them otherwise. Now we know that Labour never intended to pursue the partnership policy if it lost the general elections and it is a shame that it did nothing in the negotiations to ensure that the principle of neutrality and non-alignment, which it so ardently fought for in the seventies and eighties, was left intact.
Not only that but it is keeping mum over the new constitution of the EU. This Constitution axes our Constitution once and for all in that it says black on white that the Constitution of the EU is supreme, it does not allow us to continue with the neutrality policy as it binds us to engage in war against the enemy which attacks any of the 25 member states and it removes the principle that all 25 are equal and it gives us the presidency once every sixty years. You do not have to be a genius to note that this Constitution is a set of regulations totally different to what Malta has negotiated and it shall supersede our treaty with the EU. And that is why I ardently believe that the Opposition must insist with the government that this is a new treaty with the EU and therefore the government must hold a referendum.
It is a shame that we have heard nothing of the sort to the extent that silence has now become the modern form of betrayal. A referendum is a must and a government that has unilaterally decided not to pass the Constitution through Parliament (either by simple or 2/3 majority we do not know because our representatives in Parliament seem not to give a damn about it), is afraid that the Constitution will not be accepted by the people. For the Government, loyalty to Brussels is more important than loyalty to its people and it prefers to give Brussels the ‘yes’ of the 65 MP’s than the ‘no’ of the Maltese.
Another reason why I think that the party is over is that now we no longer trust our politicians. Business interests cross the floor and when we hear politicians attack their counterpart we can no longer take them seriously as there is always that doubt in our minds as to whether they have business interests with their counterpart or with other members of the opposite party.
There is a feeling within the parties that they are not in control and there seems to be another power, call it masonry, call it business, which dominates them. I was speaking to somebody this week who works very closely to Gonzi and he was telling me that as soon as Gonzi took Mater Dei under his control, the flooding of anonymous threatening calls did not stop. This alone explains and confirms my perception that in this country it is not the political party which administers the country, but other ‘organisations’ composed of members from both political parties.
Although the law relating to the declaration of assets of the ministers and parliamentary secretaries is a slap in their face, it is still a step in the right direction. Needless to say, in Malta the word ‘corruption’ is not in our vocabulary and if you tend to find the word and use it to report somebody, you will end up the being corrupter yourself and the investigations will revolve around you until they hear the word from you that you have conjured all this up. This is not to mention the salaries of the ministers and parliamentary secretaries who as in the parable of the five loaves and the two fish convert their salary as Jesus Christ did and feed many people every month.
Yet I still believe that the law is necessary and should be extended to all members of parliament. I believe that it must be put to law that all members of Parliament must declare whether they have any business interest with the members of the opposite party and they must also declare whether they are members of Masonic or other lodges. Personally I do not agree that masonry should remain illegal in Malta and the sooner that the law is changed the better as it is in the national interest to know whether the country is dealing with masons or with political parties. I say this because as you are aware, masons first owe their allegiance to their lodge and not to their political party.
Until such time as I see party ideologies re-instilled again, and until such time as I see love for the party before love for power, and until such time as I see members of parliament working for the party and not for their selfish interests, I have no other option but to boycott the general elections. That is why I say the party is over!