Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/584253
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 OCTOBER 2015 24 I don't know where the saying came from, but it seems to be getting more and more relevant with each passing year. Be careful what you wish for. You never know, you might actually get it in the end… And that is very much what I found myself thinking, as I read about how Malta's pro-life organisations are now floating the idea of a 'referendum' on embryo freezing. I fully understand their concerns, of course. We just don't get to vote often enough in this country, do we? Never mind that we have general elections every five years, MEP elections just as often, and local council elections in one-third of the country every single year… oh, not to mention three referendums since 2003 (two of them in the past five years alone). Clearly, the prospect of casting one's vote every five minutes or so – and on pretty much every issue under the sun, too – is just not enough to sate our boundless national appetite for direct democracy. Like Oliver Twist, we always want MORE. And it seems we want more opportunities to vote, even when recent electoral history strongly suggests that the ones who call for a referendum are actually the likeliest to lose it. The past two examples illustrated this danger with almost prophetic precision: in 2011, Malta voted in favour of divorce, in a referendum called by a Prime Minister – and supported by a conservative establishment– who was clearly convinced he enjoyed the backing of an overwhelming national majority at the time. So entrenched was this delusion that the Archbishop's Curia even issued a press release – embargoed until the result was public – practically trumpeting the victory of the anti-divorce movement. What happened next? Well, let's just say it reminded me a little of Hiroshima and Nagasaki… only without the radiation sickness. Then there was last year's referendum, in which Malta upheld the practice of hunting in spring… despite long-standing polls suggesting that that some 80% of the country wanted it banned. The two issues couldn't be further apart, but in one aspect these referendums mirrored each other almost to perfection. The spring hunting referendum had likewise been held on the insistence of the losing side… on the same hopelessly misplaced conviction that it enjoyed widespread popular support. Personally, I almost expected people to come away from those experiences with a newfound appreciation of just how unpredictable Malta has become as a country. Clearly, threatening a referendum is no longer the same sort of 'ultimate political trump card' it was once perceived to be. The Maltese electorate seems to have developed a tendency to defy even the most complacently-held expectations… especially on the sort of 'moral' issues now under discussion. And yet here we are again, faced with another lobby-group that is deluded enough to believe it actually speaks on behalf of some kind of invincible moral majority in this country. And on closer scrutiny: my, oh my, it turns out to include the same people who had insisted on a referendum as an insurance policy against divorce… only to unwittingly hasten its introduction in 2011. Among those present at a press event organised by the Malta Life Network this week was Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi... i.e., the man who had originally suggested putting the divorce issue to the wider electorate in the first place. "This is not a matter to be decided by 65 MPs," he had casually told a group of journalists as he stepped out of Parliament one fine morning in 2010. And though he would later desperately try to backpedal from that statement, it was too late: the infernal machine had been set ticking, and the referendum movement became an unstoppable force in its own right. With hindsight of the result, Opinion Raphael Vassallo Another referendum? Bring MISCO announces the publication of The MISCO Salaries and Benefits Report 2015-2016. This report which has been published annually for the last 30 years is the most sought after tool of its kind due to the comprehensive and well researched data on the trends of salaries and remuneration packages available in Malta. This report is an essential tool as it provides a realistic and up-to-date picture of what companies are paying within the local labour market. The categories of personnel covered include management, executive, clerical, technical and non-manual personnel in various private, foreign-owned and government controlled, service and manufacturing companies. This segmentation of information gives the end-user a better idea of the remuneration packages offered locally, thus permitting a more accurate positioning of the organisation within the local market. The MISCO Salaries and Benefits Report 2015/2016 To purchase a copy of this report kindly contact us on 2205 4651 or by e-mail on advisory@miscomalta.com. SALARIES REPORTS BY MISCO www.miscomalta.com 30 YEAR REPORT th Former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi should be the last person to bank on perceived popular moral support, following the result of the divorce referendum PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAPHAEL VASSALLO