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17 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 OCTOBER 2019 INTERVIEW vring within political parties or elements with huge interests outside them." Yet both Godfrey and Mar- lene Farrugia were popular MPs in their constituencies, and knowledgeable of the 'par- tisan' colour of Maltese poli- tics, where parties live to serve interest groups that give votes, such as pyrotechnic associa- tions and hunters, even when those demands are often at loggerheads with overarching demands for public safety or environmental sustainability. "It is totally possible if one keeps the country and the peo- ple truly in the centre of po- litical decisions," Farrugia says when asked whether politics in Malta can be truly removed from the partisanship of its many tribal loyalties. "The sad truth is that once elected into parliament, many politicians become ready to trade their absolute loyalty to the country for a bigger chance in parlia- ment or the executive and to secure their standing in their respective parties. "We never had such strange tendencies," Farrugia says of him and his partner. "We peaked very early in life in our respective professions, enter- ing politics only after we had achieved that, and became fi- nancially secure. Our sole in- tention was to do our utmost to ensure that those who come after us enjoyed the same or even better opportunities to succeed and be happy in their own country like we did. For us it was always country before party, even if we knew that meant potential marginalisa- tion." And Farrugia also strikes a tone of confidence in his ac- complishments with PD, de- spite having given notice of his services. "We feel that our mission has been fully accomplished because not only have we re- mained unwavering in our po- litical approach, but we have left the seed for a new political movement to thrive and grow. Of course, that will only hap- pen if less narcissists and more altruists join the political trail." But the Farrugias' success- ful re-election as MPs for the small PD in the snap elections of 2017 was only made possi- ble by running their party can- didates on the same list as the Nationalist Party's, ensuring the swift re-election of Mar- lene Farrugia, and of Godfrey Farrugia by casual election. "Dire political situations created by an establishment cannot be solved by the same establishment that created them," Farrugia says, explain- ing the need for a coalition with Simon Busuttil. "It was an attempt to dilute that estab- lishment and steer Malta away from stale politics towards the fresh politics promised in 2013, and never delivered. "In a scenario where a PN leader who shared our mind- set had prevailed, the coalition would have been as effective in Opposition as would have been a PN-PD government been elected. Unfortunately, we consider the current PN lead- ership as toxic as the govern- ment leadership, and therefore we cannot create the synergy we would have wished to cre- ate." PD's evolution was largely stunted in this piggy-backing on Nationalist votes: a host of prime movers have left since then, and now Godfrey Farru- gia resigned as leader almost as fast as he was appointed PD leader, floundering in the Eu- ropean elections, apart from the party having never pre- sented an ideologically coher- ent proposition. Are not the Farrugias' resignations a clear statement that PD will not be making it to the House in the next election? "Marlene had stated in more than one interview that she will stand for only two terms. She believes that fresh faces bringing fresh ideas and atti- tudes is necessary for a healthy democracy. She only contest- ed a third legislature because of an unprecedented turn of events which demanded her participation. It was always the case that Marlene would pur- sue other interests which she had to sacrifice while she was bringing up her children as a single parent, setting up a busi- ness, practising her profession and contributing as a constant front liner in politics. "As far as I am concerned, it is common knowledge among my closer circles that after surviving two cancers I would retire at 61, to live closer to nature and dedicate myself entirely to gardening and writ- ing." Still, the Farrugias are leav- ing the PD midway through a race that, politically speaking, needs their steam in the House. Didn't they owe this fledgling party the courtesy of staying on right before the next election? After all, they were elected in 2014 in good faith with no real political baggage dragging the party down… it almost seems they are abandoning ship when they are most needed. "In politics time is of the es- sence. If Partit Demokratiku is to metamorphose and to con- struct and deconstruct itself, the political party which would create a real alternative for vot- ers come next elections, needs to do that now and not on the eve of a general election. "The MEP results confirmed that the necessary changes/ influx within PD could not happen under my leadership. Therefore, the rational thing to do was to bow out completely, to give PD a real chance of undergoing the necessary up- heaval." The leadership role of Partit Demokratiku remains vacant, but Farrugia believes that the 2.03% of the vote garnered by PD in the 2019 MEP elections is a seed that has been sown to take the party to the next level. "With Labour mired in scandals and the Nationalist Party in chaos, the 2019 MEP election served as a timely test- ing ground for the progress, if any, that PD was making under my leadership," he said, adding that though PD was a fledgling political party, the results were not encouraging. Indeed, despite being an MP and party leader, Farrugia was unable to get more votes in the MEP elections than another – now former – candidate, the Swedish clean-up activist Camilla Appelgren. Did that affect his decision to resign? Farrugia's reply is a terse ac- knowledgement. "Appelgren's vote confirms that the country is in dire need of a truly liberal party." And perhaps that liberal par- ty was not the PD that seemed forged in the image of the Far- rugias – pro-life, suspicious of the morning-after pill, and more likely to be closer to their parochial loves of festa fireworks and the hunting fra- ternities from their beloved districts of Zebbug and the Maltese south. Godfrey Farrugia says he is not abandoning political life, even though just under two years later, his time at the PD is surely over. "I will remain involved in a public capacity with the aim of seeing the Maltese commu- nity thrive. One does not need to be in a political party to call oneself a politician… Malta's political atmosphere is a toxic one and one in which it is eas- ily to become hooked on, los- ing the faculty to operate from a free space in the process. My advice to young, aspiring poli- ticians is to dream big for their communities and country, and be prepared to work hard and selflessly to achieve those dreams. But do not lose your- self in that process." PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES BIANCHI