Taliban a la Maltais

The Malta Independent on Sunday Taliban a` la Maltais

After the 11th September 2001 Taliban has adopted the meaning of extreme fundamentalism. It fits someone who believes in a cause beyond the call of reason and is prepared to use all means fair or foul to achieve` such cause.

The French ambassador Mr Destremeau, charming as a person but very much short on diplomatic skills, has donned on himself the mantel of Taliban a` la Maltaise. Strange that this happened right when he meant to criticise the Leader of the Oppositon for the mere audacity of suggesting that` certain high exponents of the EU tend to adopt a Taliban approach when they argue the case for Malta` membership and many of them have first hand knowledge of the Maltese realities not better than that of` the` Talibans.

In an interview he gave this week to the Malta Independent Mr Destremeau made two emphatic very undiplomatic points. First that Dr Sant has insulted Mme. Nicole Fontaine, president of the European Parliament , by calling her` Taliban in a way degrading her personality. This is a re-cycled untruth which undiplomatically engages a senior diplomat to become an integral part of the PN inspired network to warp and thwart whatever Dr Sant says.` `

Dr Sant point is valid and diplomatic. The EU officially states that Malta as a member will have to abide by the whole acquis communitaire following whatever transition periods that are agreed. It officially says that it is up to the Maltese to make up their` mind whether this would good or bad for them. They only go as far as saying that Malta has or could have the right credentials and capacity to make it to membership which is far different from saying that this would be in Malta`s best interest.

At the unofficial and personal level,` many exponents, without much supporting evidence and without much first hand knowledge of local realities,` cross the line and argue that it is in Malta`s interest to join as members of the EU.` They repeat such mantras as` Malta`s sovereignty being` strengthened by pooling it in a project which is on an irreversible road to central federalism.` Such Taliban style fundamentalist arguments is oft repeated by the likes of Mr. Destremeau.

But in his interview Mr Destremeau exceeded all limits of objectivity let alone of diplomacy. He basically appealed to` the local Bishops to come out in the open to support Malta`s case for EU membership.` He totally and conveniently confused two issues which should be kept distinct and separate.` We should not confuse whether the EU itself is a good project which deserves praise and support on an international level even from the religious authorities, to the argument` whether it is in Malta`s best interest to form an integral part of such project.



Because I think that the United States of America is an admirable country which deserves respect and appreciation it does not mean that, even if I were to be given a chance,` I would want to swap my citizenship from Maltese to American. Because I think that Mr Destremeau is unworthy of holding the post of French Ambassador to Malta it does not mean that I no longer consider Paris to be the most romantic city in Europe.

In a manner which fully deserves the Taliban label Mr Destremeau confuses the two issues and argues that Malta will remain isolated if it does not join the EU and would not be able to compete in a globalised world. These are strong, partisan and unsupported assertions. They are the stuff which should be intelligently debated by our political schools. They present a choice between` the means to a common objective of` giving our country the best sustainable standard of living possible.

They are not matters which fall within the remit for foreign diplomats to discuss publicly supporting this political view` against the other.` Much less it falls within` the terms of remit of the local Church authorities,` as Mr Destremeau instigates. If the argument were` between a free market model as against a centrally planned economy model,` I could understand that the Church Authorities could have a say in guiding its flock to the values of freedom, liberty and social justice.` But I fail to understand what role the Church could have in giving any direction to the faithful in choosing between` whether it is in the best interest of Malta to seek one size fits all membership or seek the special tailor made relationship as promoted by Labour`s Swiss model.

The choice which Malta will soon have to make in deciding for or against membership does not need to be further confused by imprudent inputs by foreign diplomats. If anything such inputs work in favour of those who are wary that EU membership would severely challenge our nascent sovereignty achieved after millennia of bondage and colonialism.` If foreign diplomats feel licensed to interfere in guiding us in taking such decisions just imagine what a federal driven EU would do whenever local interest would be in conflict with the central interest of the whole community.

My case against EU membership rests on the argument that economically and politically we are better off positioning ourselves slightly different from the rest so that we can leverage our differentiation and flexibility to our long term economic advantage. These complicated arguments cannot` be well explained if foreign diplomats continue to transmit noise whilst instigating the Church to join the fray in sixties style. Mr. Destremeau should start learning diplomacy from chapter one.