Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1534095
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 6 APRIL 2025 4 INTERVIEW Mark Anthony Sammut: 'PN needs to convince hearts' Nationalist MP Mark Anthony Sammut acknowledges that the Opposition's parlia- mentary behaviour needs to improve but insists it pales into insignificance compared to how government treats parliament. Although PN MPs sometimes lose control of their emotions, he tells me, it is nothing compared to government's lack of respect towards the institution. He cites the num- ber of unanswered PQs by ministers as an example of disrespect. "Ministers who don't reply to parliamen- tary questions or treat parliament as a rub- ber stamp are much more disrespectful than a word that is said when emotions are high," he says. Although his party's position in the polls has improved, Sammut believes more needs to be done for the PN to win hearts. Speaking about the transport sector, which is part of his portfolio, Sammut ac- knowledges that some of the recently an- nounced traffic-reducing measures are promising. When asked whether a PN government would disincentivise people from using a private car through "the stick," the MP says the only stick that is needed is road en- forcement, which he argues has declined. Sammut stresses that an efficient mass transport system is crucial to changing the Maltese driving culture, adding this should have been the government's first step to fixing the traffic problem in the long run. While acknowledging that the last PN government's attempt to change the public transport system had suffered serious fail- ures, Sammut notes that the party is still credible in offering the solutions needed to address the country's mobility needs. PN MP Mark Anthony Sammut sits down with Matthew Farrugia to discuss the challenges of parliamentary behaviour, the PN's communication strategy, and the need for more effective traffic-reducing measures "It is a reality that during the past few years, the Speaker has not always acted objectively. It cannot be that every time the PN requests an urgent debate, the ruling is always that the matter isn't urgent."