1. Malta's first European Political Party has just been formed. it was named ALPHA relating to the first letter in the Greek alphabet, signifying the wish to return to classical democracy in our Island Republic, now part of the European Union.

2. As the founder of my political party, I am very much aware of the Herculean task 1 face in standing up to the arrogance, manipulation and lust for power that beset our two major political parties, not to mention the intransigent attitude by the Maltese Catholic Curia to dominate basic issues in my country such as divorce, children born out of wedlock, cohabitation, gay rights, decriminalisation of abortion and related matters.

3. Pressed as I am with other work especially in my profession specialised field, it was not my original intention to form a new political in my country, since I was well aware of the difficulties of a culture which has now been moulded into either a red or a blue pattern with a slight tinge of green! For the record, my political party's chosen colour: is Mystic which in common colour references is indicated as purple or light violet!

4. The people of my country are very aware of the hypocrisy engulfing our two major political parties in avoiding to discuss delicate issues which are basic and on which the people of my country want a clear stand from their political leaders.

5. One. such matter is divorce. Divorce has long been an issue which over the past years has been discussed 'and discussed a 1 over again, with none of our major political parties coming up with any concrete suggestions as to how to solve the matrimonial problems of my fellow citizens and other residents in my country. These, following an irretrievable breakdown in their marriage life, find that the best they can get is a legal separation with its many pitfalls; and furthermore attempt to annul the marriage either in a civil way for those who would have been blessed with marrying only in the Civil Registry. Or the worst ordeal in having a marriage annulled by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal which is run on anything but democratic lines with no basic respect for the fundamental principles that justice must not only be done but must be seen to be done, as well as the right to a fair hearing (audi alteram partem), and that each party will be free to have a lawyer of his or her own choice assisting them in such proceedings. All these democratic concepts do not apply within the parameters of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, as all those who have gone through these procedures know very well indeed.

6. Above all we have a most undemocratic law in that our Marriage Act 1975 was unconstitutionally amended in 1995. On 1 March of that year being the first law passed in that year the Ecclesiastical Tribunal was given a privileged dominance over any civil law annulment case pending before the First Hall of the Civil Court, now the Civil Court Family Section, and any such case pending before the Civil Court Family Section relating to marriages after 15 May 1995. This means that on the application of any one interested party, such a case is suspended until it is heard and decided by the Ecclesiastical Tribunal. Clearly this is an encroachment on the sovereignty and independence of our judiciary a stand which is totally unacceptable in a democratic country particularly coming from an Ecclesiastical Tribunal which holds on to a totalitarian and autocratic concept of relating law to people. This will be one definitive stand taken by my party not only to have a responsible Divorce Law introduced in Malta, but to eliminate this anomaly in the Laws of Malta.

7. I know that on this matter I have the support of thousands of my fellow citizens and other residents, not to mention contacts that I have made over the past years abroad. All we need is courage from the electorate to defy the arrogance and manipulation and hypocrisy of our two major political parties and implied moral threats on the part of the Maltese Curia. Then we should be able to put up an acceptable stand against this abuse in my country and together we can overcome this very serious obstacle to the basic rights of my people in this country.

8. Abortion is another issue which has been left under the social carpet for many years now. My party ALPHA wants a public debate on this important issue which, although it concerns the very foundation of society, relates mainly to women.

9. My party believes that abortion must be decriminalised at the outset that is to say, removed from the Criminal Code as an offence. 1 believe it is debasing to womanhood to have abortion still listed down as a criminal offence. So on this point, ALPHA is categorical: we believe that a civilised society as ours should be tolerant and respectful to any woman who under her own personal circumstances opts for an abortion.

10. I believe that such women should not be condemned, their personal circumstances duly analysed and examined and that the state should psychologically and physically assist such women, rather than condemn them and eliminate all forms of discussion about abortion.

11. Needless to say, hypocritical political parties such as the Nationalist Party are quick to play immaculate on such issues, but I am certain that most people realise that this is just a political gimmick like so many other political gimmicks on the part of the Nationalist Party in an attempt to appear in a whiter light than white when we all know that the background to this party is regrettably very 'black'.

12. Other issues which my party would like to tackle are equal rights for all children whether they are born in or out of wedlock. This is another slip on the part of the Nationalist Party which had promised that all children would be put on an equal legal footing, a promise which has not materialised. My party ALPHA wants this basic issue cleared once and for all all children will have equal birth certificates, making it clear that whatever may have gone wrong in the relationship of the parents or if a woman has to indicate that the father of a particular child is 'unknown' then such a child should in no way be socially disadvanteged. This also relates to succession rights and this is another fundamental issue that my party wants to tackle before the European Parliament.

13. other aspects relate to gay rights, rights and duties of persons cohabiting with each other and naturally this would also incorporate the concept of the state aid that such cohabiting couples would be entitled to if it should result at all that the couple would be in a position to be gainfully occupied.

14. These and other such issues which one might refer to as Civil Basic Rights will be analysed in detail within the European Parliament if my party were to be elected. Though it has been contended that most of these issues are non European Parliament issues, 1 most certainly beg to differ on these opinions particularly when as in the case of my country that which is taken for granted as obvious in other EU countries, in my country our established politicians and political parties choose to sweep it under the socio politicai carpet.

15. These situations cannot remain any longer unresolved in my country

16. As a member of the interReligious and International Peace Council, 1 strongly. believe that it is useless for any of us to aspire to the acquisition of these civil basic rights in my country unless there is a peaceful environment, an environment which is politically protected by a status of neutrality (as in the case of Switzerland), which status of neutrality will make it possible for my country to emphasise that without peace, no ideal or concept can be achieved. This, my party hopes to achieve within a framework of inter religious and international co operation.

17. On the concept of religion, my party believes that all religions have their good and less attractive aspects, but that they should all be respected if founded. on teachings which seek to diffuse the well being of all members of humanity as children.

18. My party strongly believes in a God that is both within and without us and that deprived of this cosmic energy, man on his own is not able to achieve anything. My party believes that this therefore can only be achieved through an international co operation among various religious faiths without any distinction or privileges among them, built on the concept that various roads lead to God. Hence, 1 would like to see that in my country all religious denominations are have such a constitution signed on 17 June or the closest possible date that the EU opts for the signing of this Constitution for Europe.

20. These are some of the basic objectives that my Party ALPHA is striving to achieve if elected to the European Parliament, strongly believe in the maturity of the Maltese people. Conscious as we equally respected with no particular privilege being bestowed on any one particular religion, as is the situation at the moment in my country

19. Furthermore, my party completely endorses the EU Constitution as currently drafted and will propose to are about the difficulty of large sections of the electorate to disassociate themselves from the culture of local petty politics while remembering that these are elections for the European Parliament, however 1 have sufficient assessments to believe that Dr Emmy Bezzina and John Zammit during the debate at Le Meridian Phoenicia with other EU candidates there are thousands who realise the plight of the Maltese people manipulated as they are by the two major political parties who really have no programme at all for the European Parliament except their boasting that one party is aligned to the Popular Party, the other party boasting that it is aligned to the Socialist Group and now we have Alternattiva Demokratika boasting that they are aligned to the Greens. And nobody is saying that it is aligned first and foremost to the interests of my people, my country, and the supreme welfare that is deserved for my people and for my country.

21. ALPHA will therefore hold on to a neutral stand acting in the direction that reflects the best interests for Malta and the Maltese, and whoever chooses to lawfully reside in my country.

22. ALPHA will be contesting two candidates for the forthcoming European Parliament elections, namely myself being party chairman and Mr. John Zammit, a journalist and author. May the best interests of Malta and the Maltese within a pluralistic and cosmopolitan European Union framework be safeguarded.

BY EMMY D. BEZZINA

       
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