Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1519042
11 ANALYSIS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 14 APRIL 2024 momentum or conservative backlash? stained despite his liberal views on the topic. Cyrus Engerer, on his part, did not participate in the vote due to another com- mitment but had co-authored the resolution and has affirmed his support for it before and af- ter the vote. While Alfred Sant is on the way out, his sovereign- tist approach still strikes a chord with those in the party who re- sent foreign interference. Alex Agius Saliba's 'no' to abortion is particularly significant in view of his position as Labour's front runner in the MEP election race and the most likely to win the title of head of delegation. If Cyrus Engerer does not contest again, as his bravado in sup- porting the resolution suggests, it could also mean that liberal Labour voters would be denied from having a pro-choice voice in the campaign. And while it is unlikely that there is a criti- cal mass to elect a progressive Labourite like Engerer, Abela must be careful that his mix of candidates includes the differ- ent shades of opinions which already co-exist in Labour. Ironically, as things stand, the only other potential candidate expressing liberal views on this issue is former leader Joseph Muscat, whose stature gives him an allowance to speak his mind. And while Labour can- not afford to take a pro-choice stance for both pragmatic rea- sons and because it includes a segment of people who are gen- uinely against, it can still offer the best hope for change. But to continue doing so it has to allow an internal debate in which pro- choice voices are respected not shunned. 4.It galvanises the local conservative EU sceptic right, possibly giving it a rallying cry and thus more visibility. But the price is likely to be paid by the PN not Labour. While the local pro-choice lobby may feel vindicated by the support it receives from the European mainstream, the res- olution is likely to give a raison d'etre and a rallying cry to the conservative right-wing rep- resented in these forthcoming elections by Edwin Vassallo. But the price for this will probably not be paid by Labour but by the PN. For unlike the PN which participates in the EU main- stream and takes pride in Met- sola's presidency, candidates like Vassallo will embark on a quixotic but possibly effective crusade against the EU's liberal establishment. And while it is extremely unlikely that a right- wing candidate is elected, such a candidature could end up si- phoning more votes from the PN. 5. Conservatives who applauded the EU parliament's censure of Labour's corruption have been given a taste of their own medicine. For the past decade, Labour has found itself repeatedly cen- sored in the EU parliament by a wide majority spanning across the ideological spectrum on rule of law issues. This criticism was often shrugged off as foreign interference meant to harm the national interest by Labour but was applauded by Nation- alist politicians. But inevitably, corruption is not the only issue falling under the spotlight of the EU parliament and in October last year MEPs had voted for a resolution on the rule of law in Malta six years after the assassi- nation of Daphne Caruana Gal- izia, which came with a call for Malta to legalise abortion. The reality is that parliament con- stantly votes on similar resolu- tions to exercise moral pressure on member states. And while partisan rivalries between the EPP and the Socialists play a part in singling out pariahs on both sides, being under scrutiny of pesky 'outsiders' is an essen- tial part of forming part of the club. And while such pressure risks provoking a nationalist backlash in scrutinised member states, it also contributes to Eu- ropean consensus which tames aspiring autocrats and increas- es accountability. And it is only natural that the EU politicians are as concerned with the plight of women as they are concerned with money laundering and me- dia freedom. 6. It risks giving pro-choice lobbyists the illusion that change can come through the EU's backdoor not from Malta's front door. But local pro-choice move- ments also risk making the same mistake as rule of law NGOs who console themselves with international support, underes- timating the nationalistic coun- ter-reaction this often triggers. In this sense, while interna- tional pressure can be effective in conditioning governments and elected officials especially those serving in EU institutions, who hate being shunned by EU counterparts, it is no substi- tute for grassroots campaign- ing aimed at changing deeply entrenched beliefs and values. In this sense, the most effective tool the pro-choice movement has is the everyday life stories of Maltese mothers who have passed through difficult experi- ences. Only this can lead to the cultural change which would embolden pro-choice politi- cians to take a stand and for the Labour Party's leadership to fol- low their lead. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola signed up to the Simone Veil Pact pushed by French President Emanuel Macron's liberals that guarantees women's access to contraception and abortion. Chris Fearne could be given a tough grilling on Malta's abortion law when he faces MEPs as Malta's nominee for European Commissioner despite the changes enacted by the government last year.