PN will try to undermine Malta’s EU Presidency

Alfred Sant, Head of the Maltese Labour Delegation at the European Parliament has warned the Maltese Government that the Nationalist Opposition will be ready to undermine the Maltese Presidency of the European Union in the same way it ensured that Leo Brincat was voted against in the European Parliament. The Nationalist Opposition is only interested in its puerile political calculations and does not care about the integrity of our country.

Dr Sant said that Leo Brincat’s vote reminded him when thirty years ago as President of the Labour Party he witnessed a campaign of misinformation by the Nationalist Opposition at the European Council aimed at denigrating the Maltese Government and Malta’s image abroad.

Dr Sant said that initially the Head of the Nationalist Delegation at the European Parliament had told him that he expected Leo Brincat to be considered on his political and financial merits. So much so that Mr Casa had organised meetings between Leo Brincat and various EPP MEPs.

MEPs from the EPP who had met Mr Brincat were impressed by his professional integrity in politics and finance. “But the Brexit result eventually brought about the postponement of Mr Brincat’s hearing after the Summer Recess. It was during this period that MEPs were given damaging information linking Mr Brincat to the Panama scandal.”

It was clear during the first vote that the EPP had changed their attitude towards Leo Brincat. Two days later, Mr Casa confirmed this with Dr Sant telling him it was because of the Panama story. He said that he had managed to get the EPP to postpone their decision till the following Monday so they could perhaps moderate their views on the matter. However, two days later Mr Casa passed the message that the PN itself had decided for its MEPs vote against the nomination of Leo Brincat at the European Parliament. This inevitably confirmed that the EPP would vote against the Brincat nomination, forcing other political families to do the same not to be outflanked by the EPP on a matter as explosive within the European Parliament as the Panama papers scandal.

Maltese Version – TAL-PN SE JIPPRUVAW JIMMINAW IL-PRESIDENZA MALTIJA TAL-UE

Alfred Sant, Kap tad-Delegazzjoni Laburista fil-Parlament Ewropew wissa lill-Gvern Malti li l-Oppożizzjoni Nazzjonalista se tkun lesta tuża l-istess metodi u l-istess strateġiji biex timmina l-Presidenza Maltija tal-Unjoni Ewropea bħal ma għamlet lil Leo Brincat, “Tal-PN se jippruvaw jimminaw lill-Gvern Malti għax ma jimportahom xejn mill-isem u l-ġieħ ta’ pajjiżna. L-Oppożizzjoni jinteressaha biss mill-kalkoli meskini li tagħmel.”

Dr Sant qal li b’dak li ġara lil Leo Brincat mar tletin sena lura meta bħala President tal-Partit Laburista fil-Kunsill tal-Ewropa kien jara lill-Oppożizzjoni Nazzjonalista tgħaddi misinformazzjoni dwar Malta biex jitbaxxa isem il-Gvern Laburista u l-ġieħ ta’ Malta.

Alfred Sant qal li l-Kap tad-Delegazzjoni Nazzjonalista fil-Parlament Ewropew fil-bidu kien qallu li kien jistenna li Leo Brincat se jiġi kkunsidrat mill-Parlament Ewropew fuq il-merti tal-karriera u l-esperjenza tiegħu. Tant li David Casa irranġalu laqgħat ma’ deputati tal-Partit tal-Popolari, li fil-Parlament Ewropew għandu l-akbar numru ta’ membri.

Brincat nieda sensiela ta’ laqgħat ma’ deputati tal-Parlament Ewropew fl-uffiċċji tagħhom biex jippreżenta ruħu. “Ħdimna miegħu f’dan jien u d-deputati sħabi Laburisti Marlene Mizzi u Miriam Dalli.”
Għal xi żmien ġara kif kien mistenni; Leo Brincat tqies bħala professjonist tal-finanzi u tal-politika. “Naf għax qaluli hekk deputati li kienu kellmuh. Wara xi ġimgħat iżda l-logħba nbidlet. Min kien kontra n-nomina… u kienu nies minn Malta… dawwarha billi ra kif iċappas lil Brincat mal-iskandlu tal-karti tal-Panama. Għamel dan billi xerred u kabbar l-istorja li hu kien ivvota fil-Parlament Malti b’mod li pproteġa lil min waqqaf kumpaniji fil-Panama u bil-vot tiegħu kien kruċjali biex din il-protezzjoni sseħħ.”

Ġara li l-laqgħa tal-kumitat biex tisma’ lil Leo Brincat ħabtet it-Tnejn ta’ wara r-referendum Brittaniku tal-Brexit. F’dik il-ġurnata, il-laqgħat kollha tal-Parlament Ewropew tħassru biex isiru diskussjonijiet dwar ir-riżultat tar-referendum. U s-smigħ tiegħu mill-kumitat ġie pospost wara l-vaganzi tas-sajf. Sal-waqt meta kellu jsir is-smigħ, b’mod ġenerali l-impressjoni tiegħu li kellhom id-deputati Ewropej tal-kumitat tal-kontroll baġitarju kienet tajba għal tajba ħafna. Matul il-ġimgħat meta kulħadd tferrex għall-vaganzi tas-sajf, din l-impressjoni ċċaqalqet mhux ftit. Jien infurmat li fl-istess żmien, lill-biċċa l-kbira tad-deputati baqgħet titwassal informazzjoni malafamanti dwar ir-rabta tiegħu mal-iskandlu tal-Panama.

Meta spiċċaw il-vaganzi tas-sajf u Brincat resaq għas-smigħ, is-sinjal tal-ewwel votazzjoni kien ċar: il-Popolari daru kontra n-nomina ta’ Leo. Jumejn wara l-Kap tad-Delegazzjoni Nazzjonalista kkonferma lil Dr Sant li dan kien minħabba l-istorja tal-Panama. It-Tnejn ta’ wara Casa infurmah li l-PN kien iddeċieda li bid-deputati Ewropej tiegħu, jivvota kontra n-nomina ta’ Brincat. Ir-raġuni kienet il-konnessjoni ta’ Brincat mal-iskandlu tal-karti tal-Panama. Kienet ħaġa ċara minn hekk li l-Popolari se jivvotaw kontra n-nomina, li se jsegwu l-passi tal-PN.