21 - 27 June 2001

Over-optimism?

The EU Summit in Sweden has come and gone. Although limited progress was made in Gothenburg on fixing a date for the next enlargement, the 15 however agreed that enlargement of the Union is now an “irreversible” process. This is good news for the 13 applicant countries who were hoping that something more definitive would have come out of the summit.
Although Prime Minister Dr Eddie Fenech Adami returned from Sweden in good spirits, it will take much more than a declaration from the 15 EU member states on enlargement to satisfy the Nationalist government. Yet, contrary to other applicant countries’ fears, the decision to join or not will not come from the EU. The most important decision – political and economic – will be taken much closer to home, a fact the government does not seem to be taking all too seriously.
The few words spoken by Romano Prodi say it all. “Malta? Malta does not have any problem. It must just decide what exactly it wants.” Easier said than done, Mr Prodi. The path to EU membership is not totally “problem-free” and the toughest two chapters of the Acquis – Agriculture and Environment – still have to be negotiated. Yet, the greatest problem lies right in the middle of the government’s own backyard. The government can go to as many summits as it pleases, close as many chapters as it can within the next few months, and even receive the green light from the 15 member states to join. Yet, join it will not because it cannot get the people of this country to make up their minds.
In a country of just under 400,000 we do not know what we want. While surveys show that the country is split right down the middle on the issue of membership – just as political sentiment is split 50/50 – the reality is that very few know exactly what is going on.
Unfortunately, and The Malta Business Weekly has repeatedly said so, the government has failed to look around and see what is happening here. It continues to preach to the converted but fails to address those issues – in a clear and unbiased manner – that the “unbelievers” want the government to speak about.
Dr Fenech Adami and his colleagues can get everything right in the eyes of the EU yet still fail to convince the Maltese to choose EU membership – the only choice that makes political and economic sense.
There are very good chances that negotiations will be concluded by the end of next year. The government must also make sure that by that time, it will have a fully-fledged information campaign up and running. Even then, however, not all is said and done. The success of a government Yes campaign will depend on the truth and nothing but the truth. The Labour Party has proved to be more effective in casting doubts than the government has in providing correct information. It has two tasks ahead – dispel the Labour Party’s non-factual or alarmist statements and give the real story. Only then will Dr Fenech Adami and his government stand a chance of being accepted into an enlarged European Union.

Excellent example

Advertisements carried in the print media over the past week announced that the Passport Office will be opening in the afternoons during the week and on Saturday mornings for the whole of summer. While the rest of the government will be knocking off work early, the Passport Office will continue to provide a service to the public. Well done to whoever took the bold step to keep the department open in the afternoon. Undoubtedly, the decision did not go down too well with some members of staff but this should not stop those in authority from acting in the interest of the community.
There is no reason why the public service should come to a complete halt in summer just because 30,000 employees want to enjoy a few hours at the beach. The Passport Office may have set a precedent that could be implemented in other departments or ministries. We are not saying that everyone should forsake working half days in summer, but we are sure that a skeleton staff, on a roster basis, could be deployed to provide basic services, especially for those who find it very difficult to take some time off in the morning.
Efficiency and accountability are still lacking in the public service but it only takes one or two initiatives to improve its image. Hopefully, what is being done at the Passport Office will be mirrored elsewhere in government.