Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1322776
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 DECEMBER 2020 INTERVIEW What they said ... David Agius PN deputy leader 5 January e Nationalist Party is on the rise; Labour is sinking. Are we there yet? No, there is still some way to go. But are we on the right track? I'd say, yes, we are Prof Gorg Mallia Cartoonist and senior lecturer 9 February Morality should never determine the limit of free speech. Nonethe- less, ethical lines do exist: and the culture of a country will often deter- mine where they are drawn Fadi Hanania Palestinian Ambassador to Malta 15 March We can't do much, other than try to defend our lands with our bodies. We have to rely on others - the EU, the international community, and especially the rest of the Arab world – to try and resist Trump's deal Cher Laurenti Engerer Psychologist 26 April Recognisably prejudiced talk may sometimes be used to intimidate, claim the spotlight, to shock or display 'balls' or solidarity, and the freedom of expression of social me- dia greatly complicates attempts to challenge it James Sater Lecturer, International Relations 12 January When it comes to negotiating inter- national agreements, local expertise on the ground is often – not always – less relevant than having a strong diplomatic outreach, or a strong bargaining position Francis Zammit Dimech PN interim secretary-general 16 February When there are disagreements – and you can apply this even to people who are very close friends – sometimes, you get an element of animosity. But that does not mean we cannot overcome it Prof. Joe Falzon Economist and lecturer 29 March If the country will eventually go into total lockdown, then yes, many more workers will be affected as not all workers will be able to work re- motely from home Adrian Delia Former opposition leader 10 May ese people are thieves. ey robbed us. Yet instead of taking them to court, we are rewarding them with 100 million of taxpayers' money. is is not just corruption, not just illegality; this is immorality Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca President Emeritus 19 January It's as though we've lost our culture of dialogue. We're not even capable of sitting down and having a reason- able, respectful discussion anymore Alexandra Alden Singer, songwriter, X-Factor Malta judge 23 February Art is a very immediate way to ex- press oneself and communicate a message to others, sometimes with- out the use of words. In that sense, it is a very powerful tool which I be- lieve can change people Michelle Attard-Tonna Faculty of Education lecturer 5 April Online teaching can never replicate what a school can provide – the physical social places where stu- dents meet, play and learn as a com- munity of learners Prof. Isabel Stabile Doctors for Choice founding member 17 May Based on scientific evidence, we have different views, and as doctors we believe we should be allowed to offer the option of abortion legal- ly and safely to those women who share these views Abigail Mamo CEO, Chamber of SMEs 26 January We have reached a situation where the new government is telling us that it will not change the tax system in any way, because it is 'sacred' to Malta's national interest. And really and truly, we are fine with this… Prof. Godfrey Baldacchino Sociologist 1 March We keep criticising the system… but in reality, it works. It has delivered the resignation of Malta's strongest Prime Minister to date Prof. Raphael Vella Head, Department of Arts, UOM 12 April I'd love to believe that a crisis like this could lead to an overhaul in people's attitudes towards the arts. But more likely, those who had invested time in the arts will be able to invest more now that they are staying home Hermann Schiavone PN MP 31 May I do genuinely believe that the PN can still win. is is, in fact, what I'm always pushing for: that we, as a party, have to try and find ways to win the next election with the cur- rent leadership Karmenu Vella Former EU Envrionment Commissioner 2 February e EU defends its principles and democratic values which are uni- versal. It does not "look down" or "look up" to any Member State. e same principles and the same values equally apply to all Member States Prof. Brenda Murphy Academic 8 March We [must] start co-creating a socie- ty that works for both. Because right now it doesn't work. Women make up half the world, and have given birth to all of it. We are entitled to a place at the table Aaron Farrugia Environment Minister 19 April e pace with which the planning sector was developing in our coun- try was not on par with that of en- vironmental regulation, and was therefore unsustainable. e time has come to balance this out Dr James Degaetano President, Malta College of Pathologists 7 June I hope we do not return to the pre-COVID normal. I hope that we take the positives from all this, and slow down a bit; I hope we strive to safeguard our environment and start looking more at quality of life