Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/269668
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 2 MARCH 2014 13 sense and move away from neolib- eral policies." Why hasn't the left addressed such concerns? "People are not goods. Cultural differences come lumped with a certain amount of strain and stress. The neoliberal solution is to ignore this reality because they stand to benefit from precarious job condi- tions and a race to the bottom." He adds that the left is silent on such issues because its internation- alist nature kept socialist and left wing parties from making a distinc- tion between neoliberalism and real social conditions, leaving behind a giant vacuum. What is the alternative to austerity and neo-liberalism? "I disagree with the idea of having no borders and no protectionism, in the sense of no management of trade flows. To be fair, Pope Francis is one of the few to address this. These matters, in- cluding capital, need to be managed politically." By management, Sant means the relaxation of the Maastricht criteria and more subsidies, state aid and pro- tectionism and he insists that "more Europe will not resolve the problem, we need to seek solutions which are coherent to the fact that this is a Eu- rope of nations." His formula includes the removal of what he calls "fetishes" which restrict state aid and ties member states to fi- nancial targets set over 20 years ago. Relaxing such stringent regulation will result in greater investment, Sant says, adding that European lead- ers from the right and left, such as former Italian prime minister Mario Monti and French President Fran- cois Hollande, both argue that rules for investment should be changed. However, he says that such attempts are blocked, mainly by Germany, and Europe is in a "straightjacket". For years, the former Labour leader has stressed the need for the mod- ernisation of the country's struc- tures, in both the public and private sector, allowing the country to reach a balance of trade. Can Malta achieve this as an EU member, I ask? "We might face a problem as a member of the eurozone, where in an increasingly federal EU structure, the centre will drain resources from the peripheries. According to the op- timal currency zone theory, if there is a lack of transfers from the centre to the peripheries, these end up un- der the cosh." Malta is one of a handful of EU countries opposing the introduc- tion of a Financial Transection Tax (FTT), a small tax – for instance 0.1% – levied on every amount exchanged by financial institutions. However, the European Socialists are among the FTT's most ardent supporters. Where does Sant stand on this? "If it is considered as part of a So- cialist strategy, I'm in agreement because it does not make any sense at all to have a financial services sec- tor abscond from everything. But, the sector makes up 10% of GDP in Malta, growing indiscriminately at the expense of industry and to a cer- tain extent, tourism. So, in this case I do not agree with the introduction of FTT because it is not in the country's best interest at the moment." I ask him what he would like to be remembered for. "I always believed that Malta could be self-reliant, in a sense that it can live off its own re- sources. I have never been impressed by talk of obtaining funds from here or from there. I have always believed in investment, hard work, training and earning a living… but this men- tality never gained any ground. I re- member civil servants who years ago told me that Malta could only sur- vive if it obtains external aid. In sub- sequent years, Mintoff and Fenech Adami had such a mentality and I always looked at this as something which had to change. We need lead- ership structures, which I have al- ways advocated, that allow us to live off our own resources and abilities. Not only locally but also in our for- eign transections. But this concept is not very popular in Malta." Why? "Deep down, the Maltese always sought autonomy but never freedom and independence," he says, acknowledging that he belongs to a minority… which sees things differ- ently. Alfred Sant's career has seen him lead the Labour Party for over 15 years, the country for a short-lived two-year stint and he is now aiming at a seat in the European Parliament PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD