Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526919
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 22 SEPTEMBER 2024 5 INTERVIEW The following are excerpts from the interview. The full interview can be found on maltatoday.com.mt as well as our Facebook and Spotify pages. PHOTOS: JAMES BIANCHI / MALTA TODAY How will you juggle being in Brussels and here in Malta to face the daily troubles of a political party? It is a legitimate question and it was the first thing that crossed my mind… even I was sceptical of the change in statute [that allowed MPs and MEPs to contest the role of deputy leader party affairs]… nonetheless, after several discussions I also understood the rationale that sought to have the best possible leadership [team]… I have made it clear, especially now, that in no way will my name be on the ballot paper for the next general election. This was a condition that I laid down since I believe I should finish my full term [as MEP] because I have a duty towards the 64,000 voters who placed their trust in me… So, we will not see you co-opted to the Maltese parliament. I will definitely not be co-opted and that is something I made clear from the start… I have no political aspiration to use my role as deputy leader party affairs for personal advantage. I took this step, and this is something I also made clear with the Prime Minister and the rest of the administration, because I believe that there should be a strong team to support the party administration and the deputy leader party affairs… I always believed that a person on his own, in the face of the challenges the two main parties are facing, cannot perform miracles to implement the necessary reforms… Will you be a part-time deputy lead- er? I will definitely not be a deputy leader who uses other people as my proxy. I have always maintained contact with people since the first time I was elected [MEP]; three days in Brussels and four days in Malta… I do not believe a deputy leader for party affairs should lock himself up in an office and lead by telephone… the biggest challenges will be in the first months of office until the changes to the team are implemented… Did you ask the Prime Minister to install Leonid McKay as CEO? I did not ask the Prime Minister; I was one of the first to put forward his [McKay] name and push for him… apart from being a friend he was always a reference point to me on social issues. The only motivation for putting his name forward was the manner by which he implemented [national] reforms at the Housing Authority and at ARUC (Authority for the Responsible Use of Cannabis). I always appreciated Leonid's quality as a team builder, which is an important quality in addition to having managerial competence. How can the Labour Party reconcile the call by some grassroots activ- ists to purge former Nationalists and non-traditional PL voters from the party, whom they describe as opportunists and traitors, whom they blame for the dismal European election result, with the outreach a mainstream party has to make to attract such voters to its fold to be able to win elections? The biggest concern of activists was not that non- traditional Labour voters or ex-Nationalists cost the party the election. The biggest concern of the majority was how to open the doors wide open not only to moderates who joined the party but also to those who are traditionally Labourites and wish to contribute more and want to see more activity and discussion within the party. […] Today we have a situation, and delegates are well aware of this, whereby a section of the electorate… and not just young people, who are disinterested in politics, do not appreciate the reforms we have implemented, are not listening to our message, or who believe that we are not understanding enough their priorities… The strongest appeal I received from delegates was the need to have a party that serves as a political compass for the government… But will it be a more critical party? The moment it will be like that you will have people within the party claiming this is a sign of division in a context of two giant parties where internal criticism is perceived as giving an inch to your opponent. But this is the type of politics that the electorate which stands in the middle wants to see. If we believe that with the narrative of 'prosit ministru', 'prosit prim ministru', 'keep it up' and an 'everything is OK' mentality we are going to convince anyone in this growing category of voters that also includes traditional voters of the two main parties… [they are mistaken] because the narrative has changed… I want to address the elephant in the room – Joseph Muscat. Is the Labour Party shackled by the mistakes of the Muscat administration and the fact that its ex-leader is charged in court with corruption? You gave him a platform in the EP election cam- paign. It is very unfair to be targeted on this point because in my first event in February I had invited the Prime Minister. In the second event, which launched my campaign, I invited two former leaders with whom I worked and started my political career with – Alfred Sant and Joseph Muscat… Can I ever forget that Joseph Muscat transformed the PL into a winning party that achieved such big majorities? But no one is contesting that. The good that was done is a fact. But you cannot ignore the fact that he now stands accused of corruption. There is a judicial process that is still underway. Joseph Muscat like other people charged in the case is presumed innocent unless proven otherwise… There is a difference between saying we need to allow the judicial pro- cess to proceed and then opening a barrage of criticism against the mag- istrate who carried out the Vitals inquiry. I am not politically gullible and I cannot understand how someone can say the timing of the inquiry's publication was pure coincidence. I do not believe it… I am accused of defending Joseph Muscat but I never commented on the merits of the case because there is an ongoing process… Did you agree with the Labour crowd that gathered outside the law courts in a show of support with Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri? I have not and will never criticise whoever felt the need to express their support in that way. I will never stop those people, who felt that a beloved former leader was being persecuted, or tell them they did the party a disservice but in the prevailing climate of an election campaign I did not feel the need to be present myself… We cannot have a situation where the judiciary is considered above criticism. It is part of our system of checks and balances. Until today no one has convinced that the timing wasn't chosen to cause political damage to the PL during a sensitive period of an election campaign… but on the merits of the case I have not and will not comment until a final judgment is delivered. The Abela administration changed the anti-abortion law for the first time in 100 years; some argue it was a half-baked reform that was also characterised by a U-turn when the final version approved by parliament dropped the reference to protecting women's health. You are militant against abortion but do you believe the existing law should be changed to allow abortion if a woman's health is at risk? I totally agreed with the amendment the government put forward. I never classified that amendment as abortion – both the one approved by parliament and the initial proposal. But the first proposal put forward by the government was ill-timed. An amendment that would naturally cause a stir and instigate a strong lobby that would characterise it as abortion should have been presented after an information campaign that prepares people and definitely not a few weeks before Christmas. People have the perception, which was justified in the past, that if a government wants to push forward something that gets lost in a party atmosphere it would do so during Christmas festivities or Santa Marija to avoid discussion. I am sceptical about abortion and remain unconvinced to this day because I believe in the right to life. But I would be a hypocrite if I come here and argue against saving a mother if her life is in danger… That is an argument even the most ardent conservatives would agree with. As deputy leader, will you be imposing your morality on the par- ty? I have my own principles. I am also vice-president of a European party that is one of the most ardent in favour of abortion in the European Parliament. I always made my position clear and have always voted according to my conscious but I never carried out any crusades to try and convince others to change their opinion. However, I always asked that my opinion be respected and this is the spirit that should prevail in the party. If a branch of the party comes forward with a request to push forward a discussion or a motion on abortion, I will not stand in the way; on the contrary I want this to happen because discussion is healthy… as yet I am not convinced about abortion, especially after becoming a father, but I will not stop a discussion on the subject. Will the Labour Party include some form of abortion amendment in its electoral manifesto? I think the discussion is still in its infancy. I know there are discussions happening in some branches of the party but at the end of the day we still require a big discussion. When we rushed on some issues to deviate attention or to appear progressive we always failed. The reforms we introduced in this country were possible after a free discussion and when we put forward a narrative and discussion that convinced people…