Malta’s Prime Minister And Labour Party Silent On Metsola’s Historic EU Appointment
Roberta Metsola has made history for Malta in the European Union. Yet, Malta’s Prime Minister and the Labour Party have remained silent about her appointment as the First Vice President of the European Parliament.
There has not been a single whimper on the appointment from Prime Minister Robert Abela or any of her current PL MEP colleagues (Alex Agius Saliba, Josianne Cutajar, Alfred Sant, or Cyrus Engerer). Former MEP Miriam Dalli, Metsola’s long time colleague, is also yet to speak up.
Labour Party station ONE News, is yet to report on the appointment. And even Minister for European Affairs Evarist Bartolo has not issued a statement.
The appointment has positioned Metsola in a unique position for Malta. She will be second-in-command among 705 MEPs, giving her a seat at the table among the key decision-makers to enact some serious change across the European bloc, and more importantly in Malta.
The country has a lot to celebrate. This is a massive achievement that should transcend political beliefs, especially considering the reputational damage Malta has suffered over the last few years.
Metsola has already built important legislation to deal with irregular migration in the Mediterranean by beefing up the EU’s border patrol and spearheading regulation to develop safe ports outside of Europe.
Grazzi minn qalbi. 💙🇲🇹 🇪🇺
Posted by Roberta Metsola on Friday, 23 October 2020
Prime Minister Robert Abela has regularly made it a point to paint a picture that Malta is isolated from our EU partners. Instead of trying to gain an ally, Abela and the Labour Party have chosen partisanship over diplomacy.
And what will the government’s silence on Metsola’s appointment say to the many young women in the country vying to become our next leaders? That achievement will only be celebrated if you play by our rules?
Gender quotas, the government should know, are irrelevant if you’re too politically uptight to celebrate a female politician rising to the very top of the EU.
Praise should not only be reserved for key players like Miriam Dalli and Rosianne Cutajar, among others. It should be extended to any Maltese person who manages to achieve something important or the country at large.
Malta’s Labour Party should also know better. It has been a leader in women’s issues and continues to do so with programs like LEAD. This is the party that gave Malta’s its first female president in Agatha Barbara. It should be willing to put partisanship aside for some praise.
The government, for now, remains silent. Let’s hope this will soon change.
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