Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1453707
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 20 FEBRUARY 2022 8 INTERVIEW sons for wanting more diverse voices in Parliament. It's not just a question of ex- posing scandals, or maladministration; it is also a question of proposing different ideas, and different ways of doing things. Would the Nationalist Party – or Labour, for that matter – ever propose a 'two- year moratorium on tall buildings', for instance? This is why people also approach me for other reasons, apart from 'revealing information'. There are people out there, who do want an alternative to the 'win- ner-takes-all' mentality: and I am lucky enough to have a team of young volun- teers, who have all approached me, sep- arately, to help out with my campaign: among other things, with the IT aspects. Like setting up my new website, www.ar- noldcassola.eu. Because for some reason, these young people – mostly between 30 and 40, and all professionals in their respective fields – look at an 'old man' like me, and may- be see someone who is actually reflecting their own views… On that subject: there have been many (mostly derogatory) comments about your age. At the risk of an unkind ques- tion: do you feel this 'age-barrier' may indeed work against you, among young- er voters? (Bearing in mind that this is the first election in which 16-year-olds can vote) I'll be honest with you: when I get to- gether with my (younger) campaign team, and we look at certain indicators – even silly things, like Facebook graphs of 'how many people watched our on- line video', etc. – what emerges is that my weakest score is among the 16-24 age-bracket. That is my lowest ebb; no doubt about it. My highest, on the other hand, is 24-44… and then it goes down again, slightly, among the older catego- ries… How do you interpret that, yourself? [Shrugs] Obviously, being old, I am less known by younger people. That is, after all, a fact of life: younger people would definitely identify more, with candidates who are closer to their own age… But thanks to social media – and to the team that manages it for me: from Instagram, to Twitter, to the new web- site… it's all the work of young, talented professionals, who have volunteered to help my campaign – my message is now reaching many more people… and I am getting feedback. On that basis, I also think that my age works to my advantage. I see it as a plus, not a minus. Because whether you agree with me or not – and what- ever my faults, my mistakes, and my strengths-and-weaknesses – I have a track record. Unlike younger candidates, who can only promise 'what they will do in the future', I have 32 years of political activism to look back on. And it was mostly environmental: I was there to protest against the Verdala Golf Course, 25 years ago; and later, the Majjistral issue. I went to jail, because of Ta' Ċenċ… and I was there for all the more recent environmental protests and campaigns: the ODZ extension; Fekruna; Żonqor Point; Marsaskala… So I do have a track record: not only in environmental activism, but also in poli- tics. And not just because I contest elec- tions… but because I factually act. So if [Transport Minister] Ian Borg was con- demned for his 'Ħaqqalanqas' [outburst].. it was because of me. If [Education Min- ister] Justyne Caruana resigned… it was because of me. I was the one who flagged those issues, and reported them to the Standards Commissioner. But… should it have been me? Did it have to be me, to take the action that no- body else wanted to take? Speaking of the Standard Commission- er: in the last two years, you have quite literally bombarded George Hyzler's of- fice with complaints… I've just sent him another one this morning, in fact. This time, about the discovery of national heritage on Anton Refalo's private property… At your launch, however, you also said: 'I don't have the luxury to bring the Pope to launch my campaign'. But… isn't that what you are doing, with all those com- plaints to the Standards Commissioner? Aren't you similarly using George Hy- zler's office, to gain public recognition in the build-up to an election? I see the comparison as a bit of a stretch, myself. But if I'm 'using' George Hyzler's office for anything, it is to try and help with the clean-up, of the moral and eth- ical decay that has gripped our country. And if I do it so often… well, what other choice do I have? And why Hyzler, any- way? I was about to ask that question my- self… … because he acts! Unlike so many oth- er people, George Hyzler is not afraid of taking action, when it needs to be taken. Now: to be fair, the Standards Commis- sion is not the only recourse. Depending on the issue, the complaint might be to the National Audit Office, or to the Om- budsman. Both those offices take action, too… but only on specific types of activ- ities: and in the NAO's case – while they do very good work – it can take up to three years to get results. Elsewhere, you might not get any re- sults at all. I have also been, for example, to the Commission Against Corruption. It is toothless, and useless. Don't get me wrong: they are good people; honest peo- ple; but in practice – mostly because of lack of resources - they are just tooth- less… and useless. When I went to them with the case of [former MTA chairman] Johann Butt- igieg, for instance: I went with all the Whatsapp messages, that proved his involvement [in dealings with Yorgen Fenech]. And yet, a year and a half lat- er… nothing. Meanwhile, it's been two and a half years since I complained to the Com- mission about [Labour minister] Michael Farrugia, meeting Yorgen Fenech, and – half an hour later – writing to Johann Buttigieg, to insert Mriehel in the high- rise zone… eight weeks after the high- rise policy had been concluded. And yet, all this time later… still noth- ing. So… I have to go to Hyzler! No other option, really: as long, by the way, as the issue concerns ethical behaviour among Members of Parliament… Earlier, you said that you intend to 'break the two-party mould'. But hasn't this already happened, in practice? In recent years, Parliament has been oc- cupied by more than two parties. Mar- lene and Godfrey Farrugia briefly repre- sented 'Partit Demokratiku'… Giovanna Debono sat in the House as an inde- pendent MP… … so did Konrad Mizzi… Yes, him too. My point, though, is that Malta has already experienced 'mul- ti-party representation'… and it hasn't really changed anything at all. What makes you confident that you yourself – as a single, independent candidate – can make such a big difference? I see your point, but it's not a like-with- like comparison. Because unfortunately, Marlene and Godfrey Farrugia – and let's face it: they were the only ones to have been 'vociferous', as third-party MPs – were not seen favourably by the Nation- alists. They had contested with the PN; they were placed at the forefront by the PN; they were elected on the National- ist Party ticket… and the day after, they turned around said: 'We are not Nation- alists. We are PD.' And fair enough, if that's how they felt. But from that point onwards, they were simply put aside. They couldn't be ef- fective: because to be effective, in a mul- ti-party system, you have to collaborate… Do you feel you can collaborate as part of a Nationalist-led Opposition, though? Yes. I've said it many times before: I would be willing to collaborate with any other Opposition party – and even with the government. If the government need- ed cross-party support, on something that I feel deserves support… I would be happy to help; so long as the Cabinet is made up of clean, honest people. But they have to be clean, and honest. They have to have no track record of misdemeanour. So if government were to appoint Ministers who were not clean… then, sorry, no, I will not support you. And that is, in itself, a way of keeping government on its toes. It is a way of en- suring that government doesn't appoint crooks, as ministers; of seeing to it, that MPs who are found guilty of wrongdo- ing, end up resigning. It is, in a nutshell, a way of at least trying to clean up a political system that is ethi- cally, and morally, 'sick'. And that, at the end of the day, is what I am trying to do… PHOTO: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTATODAY