In a hotly contested referendum the people of Malta in 2003 overwhelmingly voted in favor of accession with the European Union. A remarkable 91% of eligible voters cast ballots, with 143,094 votes in favor and 123,628 against. On April 16th, 2003 Malta’s Prime Minister Dr. Eddie Fenech Adami signed his nation’s Treaty of Accession to the EU in Athens Greece. So it happened that Malta at long last came of age, after suffering a long period of harsh foreign invasions going back several millennia, by virtue of being strategically situated between three vast continents, with North Africa to its south, Europe to its north, and Asia to its East. In years past where the main mode of transportation for commerce and waging wars of conquest was by ship, he who controlled Malta had virtual domain over the entire Mediterranean littoral and far beyond. Britain was the latest in a long list of nations that saw the value of using Malta as a naval outpost to further its imperial agenda.
The long period of forced occupation brought with it great suffering, as Malta’s defenseless population was subjected to pillage, slavery, and the humiliation of being treated as a vassal, second class people within their own land, by powerful nations who sought to carve out the island for their own advantage., at the exclusion of those who were vanquished. It was thus that Malta was repeatedly sold and bought over the block on the world market to the highest bidder, as can be attested by its long history which dates back to circa 5,000 BC. Malta’s major sin lay in its small size and diminutive population.
There is probably no other place on earth of its size, that has had such a diverse exposure to external pressures, that ultimately helped give its people their unique Mediterranean profile. For a start, it is the only European country whose native Phoenician tongue is written in Roman characters, a mixed legacy of Phoenician domination that dates back into antiquity circa 800-480 BC, and its ultimate incorporation with the western alphabet, introduced during the time that Malta became consolidated with the Republic of Rome in 218 AD. By the same token a nation which by every yardstick should have historically adopted the Islamic creed, is instead a stronghold of Catholicism. This duality of identification is manifest to this day between folks who advocate stronger ties with mother Europe, and the adoption of high EU standards over less rigid local codes , as opposed to others who seek a more independent course of action entailing a vague form of partnership with the Arab world at large. This is not to say that a cultural affinity with the Middle East or North Africa is paramount.
The clash of cultures which have for years washed on and off Malta’s shore, brought with it as many benefits as it did regrets. Each succeeding occupying power left behind an imprint of its particular tillage and values, which in turn has had a cumulative positive consequence on the very same subjects which suffered under a foreign yoke. The result has fostered a population which is highly warm and friendly towards others of a different racial, religious or cultural persuasion, all be it that the Maltese majority are pre-disposed to feel more comfortably attuned towards sharing the western mode of life. No better evidence can be found in justifying the ability of the Maltese to soak in foreign influence which helped shape their destiny, than in their outstanding ability to muster foreign languages. The average person can fluently converse in Maltese, Italian and English, not to mention more than a few who can also discourse in French and German.
The vote to formally join Europe as a sovereign state, is a reflection of Malta’s history and its determined desire to be treated as an equal partner, proportionate to its size and contributions, amongst other nations which have a shared cultural value. The price of EU membership carries with it a mixed bag of prospects, some good, some bad, others somewhere in-between depending on individual dispositions. On one hand of the scale lie countless new and exciting prospects on sharing the cumulative wealth that befits a union of this huge magnitude. On the other side Malta, like other member nations big and small, has had to sacrifice some measure of sovereignty as the price of admission for the benefit of the whole. There exists a well founded but unproven fear that because of its relative small size, the will of Malta will be subordinated by larger countries, under the premise that in a democracy some countries are more equal than others.
The biggest beneficiaries to Malta’s admission in an extended world of opportunities are its young. They will no longer be excluded from seeking employment outside of Malta’s miniscule job market, any different than foreign counterparts which are likely to peruse jobs in Malta. The immutable law of averages dictates that the flow of university graduates seeking their place in the sun will point northwards towards continental Europe, rather than in the opposite direction, where paid positions are at a premium. Much the same situation will exist for business entrepreneurs wishing to venture beyond the narrow horizon in search of larger markets, and more lucrative profits awaiting them elsewhere. Before any such prospects can materialize into rewarding realities, Malta has to first let lose of its self-defeating socialistic attitudes towards imposing protectionist measures, in favor of promoting the law of the jungle, where only the fittest most industrious and truly dedicated will survive, in a world of fierce but fair competition.
The handwriting is on the wall. After a short period of continued government subsidization certain sections of Maltese industries will be made to clean up or close shop, in the event they fail to turn a profit. The Malta dockyard is a prime EU target of opportunity where mediocrity thrives, having leeched on the Maltese taxpayer for its existence. It is an open secret that shoddy or no work is performed by union workers in return for a guaranteed salary, a crime of theft that for political gain has been allowed to go unchallenged by the government for the past fifty years or more. Other similar money losing impositions will be enforced under existing EU rules of engagement, which is all for the best if Malta is to survive in an age of unremitting global competition. The composition of the civil service section will also be closely scrutinized for waste and inefficiency. Maturity brings with it not only rewards but also new responsibilities, and a strong will to redress social problems.
With resilience and determination Malta will do whatever is necessary to change its Machiavellian ways of protecting vested interests, by adopting a more enlightened approach to conducting business at a level which meets and even exceeds EU expectations. The final solution is to be found within Malta itself, and not by decree from Brussels under a system of imposed regulations. The imperative lies in its people’s desire to improve their lot in life. The tapestry of their long history, so redolent with hope emerging from repetitive foreign oppression, has given them strength in their epical decision to enter the EU and prosper under its mandate. Time will tell, but on the basis of prior events the likelihood of emerging as a winner far outweighs the alternative prognosis of doom. .
March 2003.
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