Opposition Styles on Freedom Day

The Times of Malta



Those who would rather have a Labour Opposition merely to justify the Government`s democratic credentials are now opening a barrage of criticism upon Labour`s confrontational style and denigrate it for not accepting the wishes of the majority even when expressed in a referendum.

This defies logic and betrays an in-built intolerance towards Labour`s right to oppose. It is seeking to deny Labour of its right to stick to its views hoping to persuade the majority and get elected as an alternative government through the normal workings of the wheels of democracy.

What`s so aghast in having a confrontational opposition An opposition is an opposition because it has different policies and philosophies from the government. In our particular case the Opposition commands 47% of the general electoral vote.` It needs less than a 3% swing to win over a majority. It is therefore perfectly sensible for the Opposition to stick to its policies and confront the government wherever it disagrees, whether it is on EU policy, on macro-economic policies or on whatever aspect of life happens to be the flavour of the month.

Provided the Opposition stays within its democratic rights to express and hold on to its views whilst allowing the will of the majority to prevail, any attempts to silence the Opposition smacks of arrogance with a certificate of origin from` Pinochet`s Chile.

If our political leaders agree to participate in a public debate where the public is not only invited to attend but also encouraged to participate then it is wrong to expect the audience not to show signs of approval or disapproval as it deems fit.`

Politicians have many platforms from where to speak. Occasionally they should stop and listen and if they don`t like what they are being told they should not presume that the people are arrogant and disrespectful. Otherwise why invite the people` Why not just continue with their boring speeches and debates in parliament or convince the Broadcasting Authority to launch a new schedule of political broadcasts which the population will gladly switch off from`

The same applies to the horror expressed at the Leader of the Opposition declaration that even if the EU accession project is endorsed by a majority vote in a referendum he would not consider this` as the last word and would continue seeking` to persuade the majority that there is a better option. What on earth is so devilish about this`

A referendum is a consultative procedure expressing the electorate`s view at a particular point in time. If at a subsequent point in the time the electorate expresses a different opinion, either through another referendum or through a general election where the matter concerned is major issue, then the last decision prevails. Why should those who consider an opposition as a necessary evil, manipulate in the name of democracy, the basic a,b,c of democracy`

Which brings me to the significance of today`s commemoration of Freedom Day. Twenty One years ago today we celebrated a new beginning for our nascent sovereignty.` By closing the military base Malta gave up Lm28 million of revenues earned directly and indirectly from the base in order to have an economy based on commerce, industry, tourism and services. In today`s money that would be nearly Lm55 million.

Over these 21 years we have not only survived but prospered. These last few years we lost track through unsustainable public spending. This is nothing which we cannot put right within a few years if we find the true leadership to rally a national effort to overcome these difficulties.

As we celebrate this day we should question whether the EU accession project our government seems on an irreversibly one-way road to, is about handing back our sovereignty and freedom for a much cheaper price than what we gave up in 1979.` Arguments about shared sovereignty with mightier partners sound very much like modern words for neo-colonialism and the 1955 integration model which thankfully did not succeed.

All other economic arguments against EU accession gain little of my sympathy and my residual disagreement is one of time-scales for adopting a single market with the EU with a few exceptions to take account of our peculiarities.`

On the question of sovereignty I find myself with a sharp difference of concept which deepens on 31st March.

Alfred Mifsud