Robert Abela’s Europhobic turn

In his Freedom Day speech, Robert Abela described Labour as the party of peace and love – all the way from international peace to domestic love. Somehow, the prime minister overlooked respect for domestic political consensus.

Abela seeks to drive an artificial wedge between Labour and the Nationalist Party on neutrality. Where there is peace, Abela is seeking to create conflict.

He accuses Roberta Metsola, the European Parliament president and a PN candidate at the June elections, of being a warmonger. Why? In her role as president, she has promoted a near-unanimous EP decision to enhance EU defence spending.

That same decision was recently approved by the European Council. Abela voted in favour. Trying to hide his hypocrisy, he claimed in parliament that he only did so after negotiating recognition of Malta’s neutrality.

Bernard Grech, the opposition leader, rightly ridiculed that claim. A protocol recognising Malta’s neutrality was negotiated during the accession negotiations over 20 years ago.

Abela’s hypocrisy is the least of it. He is playing a dangerous game for the country. To pander to some voters, he is ratcheting up a Europhobic campaign message.

First, by saying he needed to negotiate to have our neutrality recognised, he insinuates there are European partners actively trying to get us to drop it. This resuscitates one of Labour’s anti-EU membership campaign points from 2003. It was promoted particularly by Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici’s Campaign for National Independence.

Over the last number of years, Malta’s reputation as a reliable European partner has taken a massive dent. Our inaction on rule of law issues has contributed to the exposure of the entire European system. The last thing we need is a prime minister insinuating an EU conspiracy against our neutrality.

Second, Metsola is not just the lead candidate of the rival party. She heads a European institution and speaks on its behalf. To attack Metsola because she promoted EP legislation, voted for by 530 votes to 66 (and 32 abstentions), is to attack the EP itself.

Does Abela realise that, in calling Metsola a warmonger, he is calling the EP a warmongering institution, too? What will that do to voters’ perceptions of the EU?

Third, that legislation was voted for by, among other political parties, the European Socialists and Democrats. That’s the party that Labour MEPs belong to.

If the PN is a warmongering party, so are the European Socialists. Is Abela suggesting his MEPs won’t join the socialist group if elected? Right now, Labour’s candidates are campaigning as part of the socialist group. But Abela’s rhetoric suggests that Labour doesn’t fit comfortably in a modern social democrat grouping.

Fourth, the suggestion that enhanced European defence spending amounts to warmongering is a Europhobic lie. The European socialists’ own platform shows why Abela’s rhetoric is nonsense.

In their 10-point platform on security, they speak up in favour of enhanced European military “capability planning as well as in joint military and civilian missions”.

They also support more efficiency in the European market in defence goods. They want more EU support for research and development. They favour additional funding for new EU defence and security initiatives.

Yet, these positions coexist with a commitment to control arms exports and to promote security, stability and development in the EU’s neighbourhood and Africa.

Is there any element in that socialist security platform that Labour distances itself from? Abela needs to tell us.

The last thing Malta needs is for Labour’s Europhobia to be resurrected.