M.P.s worried over Malta referendum

ARBITRATION PLEA
By a Commonwealth Correspondent
ON the eve of the Malta referendum, Catholic M.P.s on both sides of the House of Commons are worried about the impression created here by Maltese Church leaders' views on Church-State relations in the island. A number of parliamentary questions, recently put to Mr. Duncan Sandys, give special point to their anxiety.
The Maltese Prime Minister, Dr. Borg Olivier, goes to the island's electorate this weekend with a constitution for Maltese independence, prepared by his Nationalist government. It omits a series of amendment clauses proposed by Mr. Dom Mintoff's Malta Labour Party, but resisted by the other five parties, which see these clauses as a threat to the island's religious life.
Dr. Borg Olivier has publicly stated that, if he secures a majority in the referendum, no one will be able to introduce any clauses in the independence constitution which are not approved by the Church. He indicated explicitly that this was meant for Mr. Sandys's ears.
Mr. Sandys has told the House of Commons here, however, that the Westminster government has in no way guaranteed that no clauses will be inserted without Maltese approval. This presumably means that, if he saw fit to insert the Mintoff amendments, he would do so without reference to the Maltese vote.
Inconclusive poll ?
Without holding a brief for Mr. Minton', Catholic M.P.s in London find it difficult to see anything inherently objectionable in the amendments. They are distressed because many nonCatholic M.P.s, without being in any way unsympathetic to the Church, feel, rightly or wrongly, that she is claiming more than her proper field of spiritual sovereignty.
On the other hand, the Maltese Nationalists and Church leaders argue that the amendments must be read in the very special context of a wholly Catholic community, and that their innocent appearance conceals threats to public morality, the Church's rights in education, and the island's Catholic way of life.
There is a danger that the referendum may be inconclusive, because, while Labour will vote "no", many centre party supporters will abstain. The question put to the voters is simply whether or not they want Borg Olivier's constitution. Some may vote "no", not because they object to the constitution, but because, with the island's centre parties, they feel Malta is not ripe for independence.
Meanwhile, the Maltese Bishops have issued a statement, calling for prayers on the eve of the referendum, but stating that the independence question is not one for their intervention (see below). Underlying the whole of the island's future, however, is the persisting conflict between the Church and the Labour Party. Catholic M.P.s in Britain believe that the gap could still be bridged by arbitration, and are most anxious that new steps should be taken to that end.