Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1500676
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 JUNE 2023 8 INTERVIEW Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt Brave new Nationalist generation Traditionally a Nationalist stronghold, Gozo has been known to 'switch political al- legiance' from time to time: invariably, resulting in crush- ing electoral defeats for the PN. Today, there are signs that Gozo is once again simmering with the same sort of anger; but while the Labour government is clearly facing part of the back- lash, the PN is also losing con- siderable ground in Gozo. How do you interpret that, yourself? Without a doubt, any discus- sion about Gozo has to depart from the premise that the is- land – for various reasons, and throughout its history – has always regarded itself as being 'distinct' from Malta, in polit- ical terms: to the extent of be- ing treated almost as a separate electoral district, from the rest of the country. Why do I say this? Because the realities of Gozo are different from those of Malta. It has dif- ferent characteristics; different exigencies; and this also means that our political approach to Gozo has to be different, too. We have to start by recognis- ing, and appreciating, all the unique characteristics that give the island its own distinct iden- tity; and we must also address the very specific needs – and problems - that are also unique to Gozo. And this, I think, is one of the reasons why we are now seeing clear indications that Gozo's political landscape is shifting, even as we speak. There is a lot of 'discontent', as you put it, on the island today... and a lot of it is down to the fact that the people's most basic needs, and expectations, are not being met. Having said this, I have my doubts as to whether your sur- veys actually capture the full extent of the picture. Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying that the survey was 'flawed'... it's just that, when it comes to Gozo, I feel that the sample used for the questionnaire always tends to be too small. Even in Malta, the sample is limited to (I believe) around 600 respondents. In Gozo, it's a lot less than that. And I serious- ly doubt whether such a small sample can yield reliable results, in any survey... Is there anything specific about our latest survey's findings, that conflicts with your own perceptions about Gozo? No, that's not what I meant. I actually found myself agree- ing with most of the findings, in general. But as I said earlier: Gozo has to be considered sepa- rately from Malta. And the Mal- taToday survey was not specifi- cally about Gozo... it was about all of Malta, with Gozo included only as one locality. At the end of the day, howev- er, the only 'survey' that really counts, is the election. And this is why, while it is important to take stock of what surveys say, I feel I have to keep working so that the result of the last election does not repeat itself, in 2027. Right now, for instance, we – that is to say, Chris Said and myself – are focusing all our en- ergies on next year's local coun- cil elections. It is too early to say, of course; but I believe we are on the right track... because we have already managed to incen- tivise new people, to register as candidates for the Nationalist Party. On its own, that already gives me a lot of hope for the future. Clearly, we must be doing some- thing right, for so many new people to be joining us... That all sounds very promising; but to get a better election re- sult, you first have to convince Gozitan voters to actually vote for the Nationalist Party. And so far, you seem to have been considerably less successful, in this regard. Despite all the anger currently being directed at the Labour government... support for the PN in Gozo (al- ways according to our surveys) has actually dropped to 28.9%: almost four points behind La- bour. How do you account for this, yourself? Well, the situation you de- scribe is certainly a reality. There can be no doubt it: the people of Gozo are 'not happy', right now... and they have a lot of very good reasons to feel that way. The state of the roads; the state of the environment in gen- eral... the list is practically end- less. Not to mention the state of the jobs that Gozitans are cur- rently being offered by the La- bour government. Because instead of delivering its promises of creating 'quality jobs in Gozo', the government is offering them only precari- ous employment: often working under demeaning conditions, that are simply 'unworthy' of Gozitans living in 2023. And there are lots of other reasons, as well. But the point is that this 'discontent' is, as you say, not just directed at the Labour government. There are now signs – including the re- sults of this week's 'State of the Nation' survey – that the peo- ple of both Gozo, AND Malta, are starting to lose their trust in both political parties; and in pol- itics, in general. This is something that fright- ens me a little, to be honest; but it also gives me that little extra 'push', so to speak, to step up my own efforts. It drives me to try and to reach out more, in what- ever way I can, to all those peo- ple who used to consider them- selves 'Nationalists', in the past; but today, no longer associate with the party. And yes: also those people whom the Nationalist Party may have 'hurt', when it was last in government; because they need- ed something, perhaps, and the PN wasn't there for them; or because the Nationalist govern- ment behaved in a way that was 'unjust' towards certain people... Hang on a second: the last time the PN was in government, was before 2013. Surely, you don't mean to suggest that the Nationalist Party is still losing support in Gozo - to this very day - over decisions taken by the Gonzi administration, well over a decade ago? I don't mean just 'by the Gonzi administration', no. Even though I can assure you that – in some cases – people DO actual- ly still feel the pain of such griev- ances, even all these years later. But let's just say that certain 'mistakes' have been made, even much more recently than that. Certain people for instance, who were 'pushed away' from the party; or cases where the party administration may not have acted 'justly', towards the people concerned... All the same, however: I be- Recent surveys suggest that the Nationalist Party is still struggling to make inroads – especially, in Gozo - despite a drop in support for Labour. But Gozitan MP ALEX BORG argues that it is up to 'newcomers' such as himself, to reverse the PN's ailing fortunes