Forgetting our Differences

Di-ve



A young boy and girl wearing blue and red tops are these days beaming their smiles at us carrying the PN`s appeal that we should forget our differences. There cannot be more crass hypocrisy which is aggravated by the use of children in party promotion.

The time to forget our differences is from inception of government right till the time when the next election comes on the horizon. Ample time to put behind us all political differences and work together as one nation to increase our economic well-being, to give everyone his due and to make maximum use of everyone`s talents irrespective of political creed or party affiliation.

The contrary has happened these last four and a half years.` I do not need to go into details but I mention just cases involve me directly. When I was relieved of my duties as Chairman of Mid-Med Bank nobody could say that this was anything but a political decision.` Ask whoever one wills nobody will deny that I led the bank with all my energy in the best interest of the organization without letting my political beliefs come in the way.

`The contrary has happened these last four and a half years.` On the change of government in September 1998 I received various innuendos that if I were to promise to desist from public uttering of my political beliefs the PN will be prepared to keep me in position.` My reply to the various emissaries was always a standard one.` The freedom to express myself freely is not for sale and I will not exchange it for any economic benefit though I pledged to use any spare time I would find on being relieved of my duties at Mid-Med Bank to increase my public political pronouncements, a promise which I believe I over-kept.

My brother Tarcisio was assaulted in the sanctity of his own home, for clear unprovoked political hatred, by people who were eventually identified, tried and found guilty.` They were given the lightest of penalty by the court, less than what you would get for a minor traffic offence, and was denied the token compensation which was recommended by the Ombudsman.

When we should have forgotten our differences we made sure not only to remember them but to turn the knife in the wound.` Now that the election is near and it is the democratic time to start remembering our differences so that a majority choice emerges for the next legislature, now the PN is using children to freeze our memories and forget our differences. Their cheek and arrogance knows no limits. They have now started wishing they can forget that an opposition actually exists.`

`Rather than forget our differences this is the time to play them back because only by so doing we can make our choices.` The person who really wanted to forget our differences was Alfred Sant. That was what he did in the 22 months he was Prime Minister and that what he proposed when he offered to the Dr Fenech Adami the possibility to hold a post-election truly national referendum where away from the election heat people will be free to vote without party straight-jacket directives. Dr. Fenech Adami basically spit at such proposals and purposely misinterpreted it to his own political advantage rather than open frank discussion leading to consensus about the timing of the referendum where the will of a simple majority prevails.

Instead of making a genuine contribution to forget our differences Fenech Adami calls a referendum which gives me three extremely solid reasons to consider it partisan and therefore does not merit my participation therein. Three reasons which no one can effectively challenge:

No referendum on an issue which is the source of division between the government and the opposition is ever held by the government in consultative mode when the government has no constitutional power to execute the opinion delivered by the electorate.` Never has this happened before in any place where democracy is practiced. When a referendum is called it has two present a choice between the opinion of the two political schools not just asking yes / no on the proposal of one of the schools. A referendum can only be fair if resources are fairly apportioned to give commensurate exposure to the respective school of thoughts.

Rather than forget our differences this is the time to play them back because only by so doing we can make our choices. Forgetting our differences now would be tantamount to being brain-washed allowed those who control the media to prevail over the strength of our inner thoughts.` Let ensure that the message prevails over the media.` Let`s remember our differences now and forget them after the lection, whatever the result.