Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1523374
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 30 JUNE 2024 4 INTERVIEW Cyrus Engerer: 'Labour straying from its core socialist values' CYRUS Engerer warns the Labour Party has moved away from its core values as he tells the story of his exclusion after criticising gov- ernment's actions. The former Labour MEP, who did not seek re-election to the European Parliament in June, has been a critical voice within the PL. Engerer has not shied from publicly disagree- ing with some of his party's stances. As we sit down for this interview, a pertinent issue that keeps cropping up is government's protracted refusal to initiate a public inquiry into the death of young construction worker Jean Paul Sofia. Engerer says this episode undermined the PL's credibility as the party for workers. He adds that not only did his criticism fall on deaf ears, but he was also excluded from an impor- tant parliamentary group meeting on the sub- ject. This prompted his resignation that was however, refused. MEPs are normally invited to attend PL parliamentary group meetings. He also takes issue with the current blanket energy subsidies, which he argues are not at all socialist by nature. The blanket subsidies, he explains, award those who afford to consumer more energy. The former MEP also expresses his shock with how Prime Minister Robert Abela and other government officials reacted to the Vi- tals inquiry findings. "I was one of many peo- ple who were irked by Robert Abela's attack on the judiciary and journalists," he says. At his Birkirkara home, Engerer takes is- sue with what he describes as the PL's hard- core-centred MEP election campaign, noting that it was no wonder the party lost the trust of thousands of voters. Former Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer did not contest the last European election. A critical voice within the PL, he tells MATTHEW FARRUGIA why he is feeling orphaned in politics, what led him to tender his resignation from the party last year and why he believes Labour is straying from its core values Government boasts that we're a country of equality. I'm sorry but it's not true. We've worked, and I was at the forefront to enact laws that bring about equality for LGBTIQ people. But just because there's equality for LGBTIQ people, doesn't mean that it's a country of equality.