Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1509678
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 OCTOBER 2023 8 INTERVIEW Gzira mayor opens up on Robert Abela: 'No way to lead a country' GOVERNMENT'S string of bad deci- sions and foot-dragging on certain is- sues are to blame for the Labour Party's loss of popularity, independent Gżira mayor Conrad Borg Manchè believes. Borg Manchè speaks to MaltaToday just a few days after quitting the Labour Party. In a letter of resignation sent to the party's top brass, he cited a litany of rea- sons, including government's stubborn- ness and subsequent U-turn on the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry. The Gżira mayor says he was consider- ing resigning from the party during that particular episode. "I regret not quitting at that time... I felt I was in the wrong par- ty," he says. Borg Manchè adds that his resignation was met with complete silence by Prime Minister Robert Abela and the PL's ad- ministration. "They're either not interest- ed or they're afraid of my reaction if they respond; honestly, I don't know what to make of it," the mayor says. He reflects on the significant abstention rate at the last general election, which was strongly reflected in MaltaToday's Octo- ber survey published on 8 October. "The people are tired of the current sys- tem, myself included," he says, calling the two-party system, "a vicious cycle" that does not benefit the electorate. On his future political aspirations, Borg Manchè says he is unsure whether he should contest next year's local council election. And while he does not exclude a career move into national politics in the future, he has no concrete plans for this at the moment. In the days after his resignation from the Labour Party, Gżira mayor Conrad Borg Manchè sits down with MATTHEW FARRUGIA to discuss the party's dwindling popularity, socialism and his political future