Tonio Borg : lejlet il-vot

Il-Parlament Ewropew għada jivvota dwar jekk in-nomina mill-Gvern Malti ta’ Tonio Borg bħala Kummissarju Ewropew hiex waħda aċċettabbli.

Bl-appoġġ tal-Partit Popolari, l-Konservattivi, l-partiti tal-lemin (inkluż dawk ta’ Bossi u Le Pen) u numru mdaqqas mill-grupp soċjalista probabilment li jkun approvat b’mod partikolari wara d-dikjarazzjoni li iffirma. L-opposizzjoni ġejja mill-Liberali, mill-Ħodor, minn parti mis-Soċjalisti (fuq quddiem MEPs nisa u LGBT) u l-bqija tax-xellug.

Intqal ħafna dwar il-kandidatura ta’ Tonio Borg. Kull min ikkritikah għamel dan mill-ottika tiegħu.

Da parti ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika ikkritikajna n-nomina tiegħu bħala waħda li m’hiex addattata u dan in vista tal-posizzjonijiet politiċi li ħa matul il-karriera politika tiegħu. Hemm politiċi oħra li huma inqas kontroversjali u li ma ħadux posizzjoni ta’ konfront kontra l-gays u kontra d-divorzju . Il-posizzjoni ta’ Tonio Borg favur politika inumana dwar l-immigrazzjoni ġiet manifestat bl-appoġg da parti tiegħu għall-ftehim ta’ Berlusconi ma Gaddafi li bih bagħat l-immigranti lura fil-Libya għas-swat u t-tortura. Ġiet manifestata ukoll meta bagħat lura l-immigranti mill-Eritrea li spiċċaw sparixxew jew ġew ittorturati u dan kif ikkonkludew l-Amnesty International u l-UNHCR.

Filwaqt li hu floku li jingħad li matul il-hearing ta’ tlett siegħat li kellu fil-Parlament Ewropew Tonio Borg wera li kellu konoxxenza tajba tad-dikasteru  assenjat lilu naħseb li jkun għaqli li jkun emfasizzat li fi tlett siegħat ma tistax tħassar dak li tkun għamilt matul karriera politika sħiħa. Tista’ tipprova tispjega imma trid tkun konsistenti. Jekk ma tkunx ma tistax tikkonvinċi.

Matul it-tlett siegħat tal-hearing Tonio Borg impressjona li kien teknikament kompetenti. Iżda diversi li kellhom dubji dwar kemm il-passat hu mera tal-futur baqgħu bid-dubji. Għalhekk talbuh jagħmel dikjarazzjoni.

Id-dikjarazzjoni li Tonio Borg iffirma tiftaħ beraħ l-issue tal-abort. Il-PN tkaża meta MEPs mill-PL ivvutaw favur riżoluzzjoni fil-Parlament Ewropew li kellha referenzi mill-iktar indiretti għall-abort u dan fil-kuntest ta’ għajnuna lill-pajjiżi li qed jiżviluppaw. Kienu l-akkolti ta’ Tonio Borg fil-kampanja ta’ emendi kostituzzjonali dwar l-abort li fetħu l-kanuni. Issa naraw kemm huma lesti li jitkellmu fil-pubbliku dwar id-dikjarazzjoni ta’ Tonio Borg u kemm din tfisser appoġġ inkondizzjonat għall-abort fejn l-Unjoni Ewropea tista’ tagħmel dan.

Bid-dikjarazzjoni li iffirma Tonio Borg issa intrabat pubblikament li jpoġġi l-kuxjenza tiegħu fil-ġemb u jimplimenta dawk ir-rizoluzzjonijiet li ivvutaw favur tagħhom tal-Labour!

Dikjarazzjoni bħal din mhux kulħadd jagħtiha l-istess piz. Għax daqqa ta’ pinna ma tħassarx dak li temmen.

Tonio Borg: his nomination and Malta’s reputation

Stephen Calleja heads the editorial team at Standard Publications, publishers of the Malta Independent as well the The Malta Independent on Sunday.

He considers himself to be “independent” so much that he did not bat an eyelid in accepting to present a TV discussion programme on the PN political TV station NET TV: l-Iswed fuq l-Abjad. Its independence can be attested by considering his choice of speakers and his myopic consideration of the  issues discussed.

In today’s edition of the Independent on Sunday Mr Calleja speaks of “restoring Malta’s reputation” when discussing the consideration by the EU institutions of Tonio Borg’s nomination as John Dalli’s successor on the EU Commission.

Calleja’s point is that The Green’s criticism of Tonio Borg’s nomination and credentials will tarnish Malta’s reputation.

It seems that those defending Tonio Borg’s nomination, including Mr Calleja, consider that he has only one positive point, that he is Maltese and they expect all to rally behind this nomination on the basis of his nationality.

Calleja fails to give due weight that Tonio Borg has destroyed his own candidacy by his utterances and actions as a Minister. His actions on immigration  when he supported Berlusoni’s agreement with Gaddafi’s Libya to send back immigrants to Libya to be tortured is compounded by the 2002 Eritrean refugee mishap documented by Amnesty International amd UNHCR. Tonio Borg as Malta’s Minister for the Interior  was responsible for sending back Eritrean immigrants. Some were tortured others disappeared.

Tonio Borg’s utterances against tenancy rights of same sex couples during the rent reform debate in Malta’s Parliament may have been forgotten by Stephen Calleja.  Calleja may even consider as unimportant the fact that Tonio Borg defied the referendum result and opposed divorce legislation.

In view of Tonio Borg’s record as pointed out above I do not consider that his nomination was the appropriate one.

When Lawrence Gonzi, notwithstanding the above decided to proceed with Tonio Borg’s nomination he was gambling Malta’ reputation.  He should have nominated someone else. There are plenty of suitable candidates amongst Malta’s  404,000 population.

It is on Lawrence Gonzi’s doorstep that Stephen Calleja should direct his criticism. But obviously, as he is “independent” he will find considerable difficulty in doing so.

Il-Labour: jgħid ħaga u jagħmel oħra

Il-Grupp Parlamentari Soċjalista fil-Parlament Ewropew (imsejjaħ il-Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats) mhux konvint li l-Ministru tal-Affarijiet Barranin Malti Tonio Borg hu l-persuna adatta għall-Kummissarju tal-Unjoni Ewropeja. Ġie rappurtat fil-medja lokali li s-soċjalisti għandhom diffikulta’ dwar il-posizzjoni li ħa Tonio Borg dwar id-drittijiet tal-omosesswali meta l-Parlament Malti iddiskuta t-tibdil fil-liġijiet tal-kera u irrifjuta emenda imressqa mill-Opposizzjoni fil-Parlament imma iktar qabel proposta ukoll minn Alternattiva Demokratika.

Hannes Swoboda President tal-Grupp Soċjalista fil-Parlament Ewropew fi stqarrija maħruġa nhar il-25 t’Ottubru 2012 qal hekk dwar Tonio Borg:

“Regardless of the circumstances surrounding Mr Dalli’s resignation, we will look carefully into the qualifications of his proposed successor. In view of some comments from Mr Borg on the rights of homosexuals we intend to question him closely on whether his views are compatible with Europe’s fundamental values on civil liberties and non-discrimination.

“There has already been one case where the European Parliament rejected a candidate who could not convince MEPS of his readiness to accept basic European values. We do not need a second Rocco Buttiglione.”

Ma jidhirx li l-4 membri parlamentari soċjalisti Maltin oggezzjinaw għal dan. Imma f’Malta b’mod ipokritu jibqgħu jgħidu li qed jappoġġaw il-kandidatura ta’ Tonio Borg.

Bħal dejjem il-Labour jgħid ħaġa u jagħmel oħra: f’Malta jitkellem favur Tonio Borg. Barra qiegħed jappoġġa lil min jikkritikah. M’humiex kapaċi jkunu konsistenti.

Hekk kienu u hekk jibqgħu. Jagħmlu dak li jaqbel fil-mument. F’Malta jitkellmu favur il-kandidatura ta’ Tonio Borg. Barra minn Malta jilgħabuha ta’ progressivi!

Sadanittant Alternattiva Demokratika kienet ċara daqs il-kristall. Il-Grupp tal-Ħodor fil-Parlament Ewropew kif fisser Arnold Cassola, kelliemi għal Affarijiet Internazzjonali u Ewropej ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika m’huwiex konvint li Tonio Borg hu l-persuna adatta biex tkun Kummissarju Ewropew u dan minħabba l-posizzjoni tiegħu fuq drittijiet ċivili u drittijiet umani. L-issue m’hiex biss dwar il-posizzjoni ta’ Tonio Borg fuq id-drittijiet ċivili tal-gays imma ukoll fuq il-posizzjoni tiegħu dwar r-refuġjati . Il-Ħodor Ewropej huma xettiċi dwar Tonio Borg fid-dawl ta’ rapporti mill-Kummissjoni Għolja dwar ir-Refuġjati u Amnesty International.

Tonio Borg għandu ħafna x’jispjega. Jekk ma jispjegax ser ikollu ħafna diffikultajiet.