Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1389773
8 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 JULY 2021 INTERVIEW Setting the record straight What possessed you to write your memoirs, at this stage in your career: a time when you are still very active in politics: still taking part in debates, and in other activities…? Naturally, the question of how 'active' one is, in politics, is al- ways going to be a subjective one. There may well be the im- pression, out ther, that I am still 'active' in politics – and I am cer- tainly still interested: because, at the end of the day, I am a polit- ical animal. I don't mind admit- ting that. But as is widely known, the fi- nal curtain has long come down on my own political career. I have no intention of ever con- testing elections again. I still give my input, to the party in which I now militate – the La- bour Party – even at the level of electoral campaigns. But to- day, I am more focused – apart from on my profession; on my family, and the people around me – on my administrative work as chairman of the Malta Coun- cil for Science and Technology. And through the years I have occupied that role, I have never mixed politics with my adminis- trative work… Before turning to the individ- ual episodes highlighted by your book – many of which are indeed of public interest; and which you colour with your own point of view - was your intention to deliver any one 'message' in particular; and if so, what is that message? It's not so much a case of 'send- ing a message'; more a case of 'setting the record straight'. I wanted to give my own version of the events that – as you your- self suggest – were determining factors, in our country's recent history. Naturally, everybody has their own interpretation of my actions, and why I did the things I did; some might think that I sometimes acted in a rath- er frivolous way… To those people, I recommend that they read the book. Even if they don't, however; I can assure them, from here, that some of the stands I took were far from 'easy': for me personally, and al- so for the people around me. In some cases, my family ended up suffering greatly, because of the positions I took... In fact, in your memoirs you claim that your family and your- self were made to go through some kind of 'passion', or 'mar- tyrdom'. Yet you didn't specify exactly how. What, exactly, were the incidents you are re- ferring to? I could mention quite a few episodes that worried me, at the time… and worried me a lot. Now: I'm not the type to over-dramatize things; but when you start receiving receive credi- ble threats aimed at members of your family… my father, for in- stance... or my children… To give just one example: my son – who, as you know, resem- bles me a lot – even got beaten up one time: simply because he is my son. Thankfully, I only found out about this much lat- er. Not to mention the fact that – without wanting it – you end up having to have a police guard outside your door, with frequent patrols. […] Another incident I could men- tion was when – a few days after I spoke out against the St John's Co-cathedral project – someone tried to plant drugs on me. Nat- urally, I reported it to the Police Commissioner: John Rizzo, at the time… So if some people out there think that everything I did was 'just for kicks'… well, they are mistaken. Out of curiosity: why did you choose to write the book in English? Without meaning to give the impression that I'm 'classist' – because I'm not: as you can all hear, I'm speaking Maltese right now… and I love my country's language […] – the fact is that, when it comes to writing, I find it a lot easier to express myself in English. Apart from that, however: there were certain episodes where […] I felt the need to pro- vide a more balanced, realistic version, than the one provided by Daphne Caruana Galizia. I say this with full respect, and without meaning to detract from the merits of her journalis- tic work. Like many others, I was incensed when I realized that, at the end of the day, Daphne really was murdered because she was exposing corruption. For that, I salute her from here. It is utterly unacceptable, that a journalist – because in this case, she was acting as a journalist – should be killed for doing her job. But, at the end of the day – and this is something that Daphne Caruana Galizia probably didn't even realise herself - many peo- Former MP JEFFREY PULLICINO ORLANDO is certainly no stranger to controversy. Known for his combative political nature, he has just published his memoirs – entitled 'With All Due Respect' – which he claims is intended to 'set the record straight', once and for all JAMES BIANCHI