Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1093354
16 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 17 MARCH 2019 INTERVIEW At a glance, 'Partit Demokraitiku' seems to suffer from identity issues. It was formed as a political party in its own right, and now has two seats in Parliament… yet those seats were won by candidates (yourself and Marlene Farrugia) who actually contested on the Nationalist Party ticket. Meanwhile, Adrian Delia has announced the end of the 'Forza Nazzjonali' coalition. Where does that leave PD now? What does it stand for? Who does it actually represent? First of all, PD was born in Oc- tober 2016… not in June 2017. Its founder was Marlene Farru- gia; and she was part of a team. What does PD stand for? To me, it stands for what is right, and what is fair. That is how I see it. We are a small party, yes; but a mighty party. And I'll tell you why. Because being small may have its disadvantages, but there are also advantages. One advan- tage is that PD is lightweight; it has its own structure, like any other party… but being small, the internal processes are sim- plified. We can approach issues in a timely way. But more than anything else, we are a very small party that is represented on a na- tional level, in Parliament… That's the whole point of my question: are your two seats really PD's? They were won on the PN ticket… Yes, I will come to that. But you asked me what we stand for. We stand for justice and fair- ness. Though small, we are dic- tated to by the force of reason; by politics of conviction. This is what makes us different from all the rest. Why do I say this? Be- cause our politics in centred on the individual, and the dignity of the person… Sorry to interrupt again, but I fail to see how that makes you any different. The PN says exactly the same thing… in the same words, too. 'Dignity of the person'. Both Adrian Delia and Simon Busuttil told me this in previous interviews… Yes, but as the expression goes, 'l-ezempju ikaxkar' [it's what you practise, not what you preach]. My point is that PD is a very vi- able party in Opposition. From the first time we were elected, we always said that we are going to represent 'the people's seat'. Why do I say this? Because our loyalty is to the public interest, the public good, and the nation. Our loyalty is not like that of the PL and PN… where the party comes first. We are not like that. This is what makes us different. It also makes us useful, both in and outside Parliament. Because what the two big parties miss out on – because of their hidden agendas, or whatever – we will state it. There are no red lines, with us. If it's right and fair, we will state it. But then again, there are also disadvantages to being small. One is finance. We are very rigid on how the party is funded. It's nothing like how the other parties are financed… and I don't think I need to go into any detail. Another disadvantage is that we don't have the media resources that the other two par- ties have. We have a political sys- tem, in Malta, which I can only label as 'dysfunctional'. Media comes into it, too: we are the only EU member state, as far as I am aware, where the major politi- cal parties have their own media machines. We also have a public Broadcasting Authority, which argues that the two parties' me- dia 'balance each other out'. So they don't care about how the views of a third, fourth or fifth party get represented. The BA only cares about giving the offi- cial slot when the campaign be- gins. At all other times, there is no balance whatsoever. OK, but again, this is all a little deja-vu, isn't it? Alternattiva Demokratika has been complaining abut the electoral/ broadcasting imbalance for 30 years... That doesn't make it any less of a problem… … true. … And it is a problem that we need to fix. This is the crux of the entire matter. One of the recur- rent problems we have witnessed throughout various legislations has been [the lack of] meritoc- racy. And if you really believe in the dignity of the person, you will also believe that every individual should be able to attain his or her fullest potential – without any political interference. More than anything else, we have a broken, dysfunctional political system, where bipartisan politics and tribalism have completely banished the concept of meri- tocracy. Let's face it, meritocracy absolutely doesn't exist in Malta. And it is in the interests of both the PN and PL to keep it that way, because of alternance of government. One of my own as- pirations, as PD leader, is that… at least I will try, as my legacy, to leave a multi-party system at national level. Now, let's go back to 2017. Why was the coalition formed? As you know, the cur- rent Constitutional set-up does not favour the possibility of ever having a third or fourth party in Parliament. For example: when we tried to have, on the bal- lot sheet, a 'Forza Nazzjonali' section with both PN and 'Tal- Orango' candidates… we found that we could not. The law does not allow it. Coalitions are only recognised after an election, not before. So I had to be part of the blue list… but I couldn't even put 'Partit Demokratiku' after my name. Not allowed. Even though we had been recognised as a po- litical party since 2016… But – to be a little cynical – that could be interpreted as just a desperate measure to get elected. You knew you had no chance of getting elected on your own steam, so you hitched your wagon to the PN… No. Hang on, let me show you something [fetches a paper from a drawer]. You've never seen this, have you? This is a histori- cal document: the original 'Forza Nazzjonali' coalition agreement, signed by Marlene Farrugia and Simon Busuttil. We joined this coalition, because there are five principles set down in this docu- ment. Good governance. Sus- tainable economy. Social Justice. The Environment. Constitution- al reform… And you joined forces with the PN to achieve those aims? Sorry to be blunt, but the PN had 25 years in government to tackle all five of those targets. What credibility could this coalition possible have, to achieve all that only now? I agree that the Nationalist Par- ty has no credentials to address any of those issues. None at all… So… why join a coalition with it? I'll tell you why. Because if we were successful, and did become part of an alternative govern- ment, we would have formed the impetus to get the PN to clean up its act. By virtue of being a third political force. That is the strength of multi-party politics: even a small party can keep its coalition partner in line. More Partit Demokratiku leader GODFREY FARRUGIA looks forward to May's European elections with optimism. But can the small party repeat its success at the last general election – where it won two seats – in the absence of the 'Forza Nazzjonali' coalition? A small, but 'mighty' Raphael Vassallo Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt