Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1322776
9 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 DECEMBER 2020 INTERVIEW PAUL COCKS looks back at the best quotes from the weekly interviews by Raphael Vassallo with various protagonists from the political, social and cultural spheres Edward Zammit Lewis Justice Minister 28 June I believe that every minister has to have a free hand, to a certain extent, to appoint a consultant: because the minister needs to have confidence in the appointee… and up to a point, he has to also trust his loyalty as well Dr Martin Balzan Medical Association of Malta chairman 2 August e real opposition, in any country, is actually provided by the unions, not political parties. Because only unions can issue directives. Opposi- tion parties can't do anything of the sort Cetta Mainwaring Researcher and author 27 September e abuses and dangers faced by migrants and refugees in Libya are well documented, including en- forced disappearances, indefinite and arbitrary detention, torture and extortion George Hyzler Standards in Public Life Commissioner 15 November It is good that government had the courage to appoint a Commission- er to put the brakes on: not just to aim for higher standards; but also, to stop the downslide. I hope to be able to do that Joseph Cuschieri MFSA CEO 5 July I personally believe that if we stay focused on the national Moneyval action plan with "all hands-on deck", we should be able to avoid greylis- ting Bernard Grech Opposition leader 23 August I feel I have an advantage, in the sense that I look upon the Bible – it's not as though I read it every day - but to me, the Bible, and especially the Gospel, is a manual that can be referred to when in doubt Ylva Johansson European Commissioner for Home Affairs 4 October e most important thing is to counter human smuggling; and also to address the root causes of mi- gration. Hence the importance of a partnership to fight human smug- glers Chris Fearne Deputy Prime Minister 29 November e biggest achievement for Malta was to convince the other EU mem- ber states to agree on joint procure- ment of the vaccine through the European Commission. is was a Maltese initiative Daniel Jose Micallef Deputy Leader for Party Affairs candidate 12 July For a political party to aspire to have the support of a majority of the elec- torate, you need to formulate poli- cies that can somehow appeal to that majority Lara Dimitrijevic Women's rights activist 6 September If you want sex… go out and meet someone. Do you have to buy a hu- man being for your own sexual grat- ification? Is this the sort of message we should be sending out, as a soci- ety that calls itself 'equal'? Peppi Azzopardi Xarabank host 30 August I have always made it clear that I am not unbiased; and I'm not neutral, either. As far as I'm concerned, you will only ever find 'neutral' or 'unbi- ased' people in a graveyard Paul Pace President, MUMN 18 October Nurses, in this country, are treated as second-class workers within the Civil Service. Not just by govern- ment, or the head of the Civil Ser- vice; but also by the people Dr Mary Muscat Lecturer, former police inspector 6 December Where we have taken strides for- ward in environmental law; we haven't really done the same with domestic violence. We are still two whole steps behind Therese Comodini Cachia PN MP 19 July e PN is like a mosaic. Everyone knows that if you lose a piece of that mosaic, the picture is ruined. I be- lieve that if we want to have a fight- ing chance in the general election we have to be united Pauline Miceli Children's Commissioner 13 September e reality is that parents have a legal and moral duty to send their children to school. And this is not something that can so easily be put aside; especially now, when we know so much more about this virus Emma Portelli Bonnici MZPN secretary-general 1 November Obviously, it's an issue I feel very strongly about, and I've never felt the need to hide the fact that I am pro- choice: not even from the party. I re- spect their views… even though they are completely in opposition to mine Philip Fenech GRTU deputy president 13 December Until we get to a point when all busi- nesses are at least functioning again – without needing subsidies, just to tick over – I'd say it will take at least two years, of slow, patient rebuild- ing. But at least – hopefully – it will have started… Gillian Triggs UNHCR Protection Asst. High Commissioner 2 February e only way we will manage this global movement of people is through the principle of solidarity; through diplomatic negotiations; and through the acceptance of a shared responsibility Miriam Dalli Energy Minister, former MEP 8 November I only came back because I support Robert Abela's vision; and because I think there is room where I can con- tribute positively. And I'm looking forward to getting started Alison Bezzina Commissioner for Animal Welfare 20 Decembere Quite frankly, the closing of all zoos in Malta is something that won't happen in my lifetime. And I don't want it to happen in my lifetime, either: because right now, we simply don't have any space or resources to care for those animals