Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1110343
OPINION 26 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 APRIL 2019 What 'together' should be all about Miriam Dalli Miriam Dalli is a Labour MEP THIS year marks the 100th anniversary of Sette Giugno and the events that led to the restoration of our Parliamentary system. Unlike Minister Konrad Mizzi, I do not claim to have first-hand memo- ries of the 1919 riots, but history shows us that it was the Nationalist Party that was the prime mover then and was once again forty-five years later, when we achieved our Independence in 1964. In 1974, the Nationalist Opposition, in its absolute majority, supported the setting-up of our Republic, and in more recent history, we steered the nation to its rightful place at the European Union table. Our current naysayer Prime Minis- ter has acknowledged the correctness of our positions, albeit belatedly, and now pays tribute to the Sette Giugno upris- ings, to our Independence and to our EU membership. It is a pity that his epipha- nies always come with hindsight, and he only sees the light when he looks in the rear-view mirror of time, even though some might argue that it is better late than never. That could be the case were it not that his foresight, unlike his hindsight, is so crooked. We, on the other hand, look at the future, and always judge carefully what impact present actions may have on future generations. The goose is being sacrificed for all its golden eggs at one go, for the benefit of the few, at the expense of the many. All this has become possible because the Labour Party in government has politicised national institutions. The role of these institutions was to provide a counter-balance to political power, and this was achieved by having appointees who were not controlled by party politi- cal strings. Unfortunately, and sadly, this policy was thrown out of the window, and the order of the day has become political lackeys being appointed to serve as a pretend check and balance on their political masters, while those who still do their job properly are often arrogantly ignored. One institution that is out of the con- trol of Joseph Muscat's Labour Party is the Opposition. The Opposition, which today is the Nationalist Party, has a crucial role to play. It has proven to be a thorn in the side of those who consider the country to be them and theirs, a far cry from the Tagħna Lkoll whitewash. The Opposition has to represent and defend the Maltese and Gozitan people against those who threaten their liveli- hood, their environment, their health and their future, even if these threats happen to come from those who are squatting in the seats of power. This de- fence needs to be carried out in all fora, and it is what is happening. It comes as no surprise then that Jo- seph Muscat's Labour, knowing that the Nationalist Party is an institution beyond their reach, spare no expense and effort in attacking, undermining and trying to subvert all of us in the Nationalist Party who have the gumption to stand up to them and to expose their wrong-doing for what it is. Take the big issue they kicked up over the misplacement of the għ on a billboard – it is almost as if they wanted to hide that we can definitely read proof of the corruption that has plagued our country since 2013. It is then without any shame that Labour, their exponents and their trolls keep pointing at any speck of dust in our eye, (our għ in Maltese), while conveniently ignoring the beam in their eye, which they flash in our face with impunity. And there we need to be careful not to fall prey to this Machiavellian strat- egy of deflecting away from the blatant wrongdoing at the Castille epicentre. We should always strive to be better, but we must never allow ourselves to think that bad is better than good, just because the good could be better proofread. The Nationalist Opposition stands proud in the face of all this, but is not alone. We are supported and encour- aged, even if not directly, by all those who are making their voices heard – against the lack of justice, against social injustice, against the rape of our country- side, against institutionalised corruption and corrupted institutions, and against so many other matters that impact nega- tively on the daily lives of our citizens. These voices, getting ever louder and more numerous, fuel our determination to be the one institution that truly repre- sents the interests of the people wher- ever it is needed, domestically or abroad. You can only pull wool over people's eyes for so long, but not for long. The upcoming elections provide us with a golden opportunity to send the strong message that we are not at all happy with the way the country is being run. We need the right people in all local councils, and in both the Maltese and the European Parliaments, who will remain loyal to the people they represent and their principles, and not allow Joseph Muscat and his merry men to simply ride roughshod over us and what we stand for. The best way that we can show this is by voting for the Nationalist Party candidates of your choice at both local and European levels. Standing proud, but not alone Roberta Metsola Roberta Metsola is a Nationalist MEP @RobertaMetsola Miriam Dalli THERE are 27 days to go for the Euro- pean Parliament elections on the 25th of May. 27 days during which the political parties and the 41 candidates, includ- ing myself, will continue to reach out to explain what to expect from us if elected. During my campaign launch, I outlined my vision for the next legislative term: taking Malta to the next level. As far as I am concerned, this is not a tag line but it means a number of things: a sustainable economy, environmental protection, bet- ter standards, work-life balance, social policies and, crucially, a representation in the European Parliament that defends the national interest. Defending the national interest has become a core theme of this electoral campaign, the reason being very simple: our country deserves MEPs who put the country's interest before any other partisan interest. And whilst candidates from all sides speak about this priority, it is action that matters. Throughout these five years, the atti- tude of the Nationalist Party in the Euro- pean Parliament was far from conducive to the national interest. It lobbied against nominations presented by the Mal- tese government and sought to tarnish Malta's reputation at every opportunity. Now that the electoral campaign is in full swing, the Nationalist Party has put up billboards and banners across the is- land, pushing the message 'Flimkien għal pajjiżna' (together for our country). I must admit, when I first saw this slogan I couldn't believe my eyes: this is the same Nationalist Party that stood shoulder to shoulder with MEPs who want to invoke Article 7 against Malta, which would mean stripping off Malta its voting rights and blocking access to EU funds. Now, they try to make us believe that they will stand for Malta. The same Nationalist Party whose MEPs participated actively in missions taking stands against Malta, so much so that it was selective in whom to meet and a subsequent draft resolution that was drafted was riddled with personal, subjective comments, statements taken out of context and quotations from the Venice Commission report which did not even respect what the Venice Com- mission said. They went as far as describ- ing the Egrant inquiry as "inconclusive" and expressed "concern" over "the Commission's decision not to activate its Rule of Law Framework". As a member of the European Parliament's civil liber- ties committee, I worked and pushed our colleagues from the Socialists and Democrats so that this wording is not part of the final resolution that was voted upon. It was the Labour Party delegation in the European Parliament that always defended this country's national interest, irrespective who was in government. Standing up in the European Parlia- ment and making grand speeches which lack any concrete positions may sound like good PR, but completely ignores the negative effects and repercussions it can have on our economy – our work- ers, our livelihoods. Governments come and go, but our families are here to stay. Although I don't believe that the size of a country should be an obstacle, it is a fact that we have our limitations in terms of resources. If jobs are endangered because of irresponsible political rhetoric, of MEPs who want to score partisan points, it is only our workers who will suffer. So yes, I stood in disbelief when I saw the PN's newly unveiled banner advertis- ing "togetherness" because "together- ness" does not mean rushing off to the European Parliament as if it were the big brother. "Togetherness" means putting your country's interest before anything else. "Togetherness" means not seeking every opportunity to bash your country. "Togetherness" means acting like other delegations that come together – even if from multiple opposing political par- ties – to stand up for their country when there is the slightest of hints that a reso- lution or a report might name it. 25th May is 'judgement day' for us MEPs. It is the day where the electorate will be asked to elect those candidates they deem best to represent them. I urge the electorate to judge our work and actions in the past five years in the European Parliament. Malta is one of the smallest delegations in the European Parliament, but we can still make a dif- ference as our work can testify for us, more so if we truly act "together". My appeal is for you to choose the six seats wisely.