Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1085429
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 FEBRUARY 2019 INTERVIEW When you contested the last (your first) general election in 2017, you said in an interview that you wanted to 'give your contribution to the party' after the heavy defeat of 2013. The PN went on to suffer a heavier defeat in that election, and polls indicate that it is still struggling to regroup. What do you think led the Nationalist Party to its current predicament? I think there are a number of factors involved. I do not be- lieve there is a single reason. The situation has to be viewed in its context: there was a back- ground leading up to those elections. The PN had, up to a point, lost touch with the peo- ple; and things like that do not happen overnight. They hap- pen over a period of time. I think another, more recent fac- tor, is that in the last election – which I was part of myself – we very much focused on one is- sue. As much as that one issue – corruption – is still relevant today… we are not a 'one-issue party'. We need to talk about different issues; and we need to reach out to different sec- tors of society, from youths, to pensioners, to everything in between. So it hurts me a lot to hear people saying they be- lieve the problem started 'only now'. The problem is not 'only now'… it is something that has a past; something we need to look into and address, if we are to move forward. It does, however, have a bearing on the present. We are gearing up for European elections, and it seems as if the same 'single issue' focus – i.e., corruption, rule of law, etc. – still underpins the PN's entire campaign. A European Parliamentary committee has just 'condemned' Malta over that one issue… and the report will be voted on by the plenary just two months before the election. Isn't the PN making the same mistake again? I don't agree with that. I think people are very selective some- times, and even journalists can be very selective. If you had to follow closely what hap- pens in the EP… David Casa, for instance, has been work- ing on the Work-Life Balance Directive. That's something that is not 'corruption'. Rob- erta Metsola has been working on cross-border issues; Fran- cis Zammit Dimech, on issues related to cancer. So the three MEPs have been working on a number of issues… including, naturally, corruption. I do not believe it is a 'one-issue' ap- proach: European politics can never be only about one issue. I am also the PN's international secretary, and when we attend meetings, together with Adrian Delia, we talk about various things: the economy, gender equality – because I'm always pushing that; it's high on my agenda… we talk about the fu- ture of Europe… we talk about a lot of things. And yes, corrup- tion is one of them. But it's not the only one. If you follow my own campaign, for instance: I also talk about animal rights… gender issues… because I'm a big believer that we need to talk about various issues. So, let us follow the campaign; let's see what all the candidates have to say. I believe they will be talking about a lot of different issues. Fair enough; but there are also indications that the PN is heading for another heavy defeat. The European Commission predicts that it will lose one of its three seats; and others have even predicted a 5-1 rout… partly because PN grassroot support appears split between different (real or perceived) factions. If PN voters do not transfer their voter preference to all candidates, it will be a lot harder for candidates such as yourself to make the quota. Does this concern you? I think it would be very naïve for me to say that everything is 'great' within the party. I think I'd be fooling you, and every- one who'll be reading this in- terview. But I do believe that things have moved forward, and the situation has stabilised since then. I do appreciate that there was instability, and there still is a little today. When you have a new leader, it takes time for people to find their feet. But at the end of the day, all of us – all the MEPs, MPs, candidates, everyone in the party – want the same thing. We want to be together for the party, and most importantly, for the country. We might have disagreements about what strategy we use to get there – I'll concede that – but deep down in our hearts, I hope and believe that what we all want is the best for our coun- try. Besides, I'm a very positive person; I don't believe there re- ally is 'this side' and 'that side'. I firmly believe that… and this, by the way, is one of the reasons I accepted to contest this elec- tion, after many weeks of being asked… that once we all come on board and work together, we will achieve positive results. The election is less than 100 days away; and while that might not seem long, even one day is a long time in politics. A lot can happen in 100 days. So no, I don't believe it will be '5-1', my- self. Though naturally, it is up to the electorate to decide… You say that 'what you all want is the best for our country'… but not everyone would agree. There is a There is more to the forthcoming European elections than corruption and the rule of law. PN candidate ROSELYN BORG KNIGHT on why she chose to contest in the first place, and why the campaign needs to move beyond a single-issue focus The PN is more than a one- issue party I'm so tired of talking about the subject. Understand what I mean, though… I'm tired of talking about it. I want to see change. Not just talk, talk, talk Raphael Vassallo Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt