Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1545285
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: DANIEL TIHN / MALTA TODAY 5 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 7 JUNE 2026 INTERVIEW Let's take a look at the PN. I'm not saying the party is calling this a good election, but some have interpreted it as positive. How do you interpret it? I think the first thing you should do is see where you started from. In 2022, the PN lost by around 40,000 votes, while now that gap has been reduced by half. The PN increased its vote share by 13,000 votes, while the PL lost 4,000, and so the improvement was there. You also have Alex Borg, a new leader, who in six months halved the gap and this augurs well. But do you not think the PN is looking for a silver lining that does not exist? You're comparing this year's result with the 2022 one, and while I understand the dynamic in the MEP elections is different, in 2024 the PN lost by around 9,000 votes, and so you could argue the gap has once again increased… I don't think so. We kept our feet to the ground, and yes while I was hopeful, we were never overly optimistic. Even when I was meeting with supporters, they were realistic. Nobody came up to me telling me they were sure the PN would win. We knew it was close to impossible. You also have the reality of Alex Borg being a new leader. He was just six months into the job… So, you want Alex Borg to remain lead- er? 100%. Let me focus back on you. People like you, who have crossed the political aisle are sometimes called traitors. How will you handle this reality? Only a handful called me a traitor because many Labourites know I am right. I meet people in Valletta for example, and they tell me I was right in my actions. The biggest worry they had was that I would switch my party allegiance. How long can you stand being side-lined in your own party? Why would you stay there? I wanted to see if I had the people's backing first. I contested as an independent in 2024 [European election], and I managed to get 6,000 votes at a national level, and that to me showed good backing from the people. But everybody knows the reality of being an independent in this country, and there is only so much you can do. Now on the other hand, the moment you start stepping out of line, the support- ers of the party you are with now, will start calling you and opportunist… Listen, I am a loyal person. But I am loyal to the people. I am also always open to discussing and debating things, not someone like they wanted to make me out to be, a crazy guy. I think the people out there have understood what was happening, why it was happening. You were mayor of Gzira. I think you gained national recognition from your fight on the infamous petrol station at the public garden in the locality, but also on your fight to reclaim the Manoel Island foreshore. The former leader of the party you represent now had cited contractual obligations when asked on the island's return, while the Labour government following pressures by NGOs rescinded the contract. Do you recognise this attribute in Labour ad- ministrations? I recognise the good Labour did in returning Manoel Island to the people, but now there are things we must do such as ensure the land around the island is not allowed to be developed, as in its current state this is still possible. We must also recognise the 10 District, is one of the biggest contributors to the country's economy–Sliema, Gzira, St Julian's—but no public investment is being made in the area. It needs public investment in infrastructure… Another one of your fights has been the "hollow" reform of the family court. What was your issue? In the 2022 Labour manifesto it was pledged that parental alienation would be criminalised, and equal shared parenting introduced. The best environment for children is access to both parents. These reforms were not carried out, and I had listed the lack of reforms as one of the main reasons behind my resignation. I see these realities every day in court. I can't see this happening and not doing anything about it. I feel guilty. I used to say this before as I had experienced it personally. Later on I got to know the issue even better and I continue to witness experiences. You have a lot of anomalies; such as the case depends on how good your lawyer is, and not on the actual facts. Just today, before this interview, I was with a father who has not seen his daughter for a year. Why should we have these situations? These are tragic situations which impact children's development. We speak about the country's low fertility rate, but who in their right mind would start a family when they know they could end up in this situation? As you said you are now in a position to do something. Will you be tabling a private member's bill to address the anomalies you have listed? 100%. If it isn't the first thing I do, it will be the second or third. But your leader now, Alex Borg, had said the family court reform was posi- tive but could have been more ambi- tious. Have you spoken to him about the private member's bill? One of the conditions for my candidacy with the PN was that these reforms be included in the electoral programme. They are, and now I will be pushing for them. Even before God, I know that I am doing good. Around a year or two ago, you were among those who criticised the use of drag performances to teach children on queer realities. Are you still of the same opinion? And I will stay that way. I made it clear I have nothing against anyone, these people or civil rights. When it comes to children, I will defend them. From what will you defend them? Why is there the need to put these ideas in children's minds? So my son comes to me and tells me that an individual with the voice of a man dressed like a woman came to his school… But do you not think as a parent that you should teach your son that this is the reality of society in 2026? There are people who are gay, who are trans… At just seven years old? If it is something they will see in their lives? They will see it in films, in series, in society. Is it not better to teach them about this so when they grow up they are not surprised by this reality? But when he grows up, he can better understand. Shouldn't we teach children from a young age about this reality? We don't need to teach them about how sexual intercourse works in these relation- ships… But what happens if he asks you about that? You adapt the conversation according to his age… I tell him that there are women who like women, and men who like men, but not about drag queens or take them to pride marches with people half naked in the street. Do you have an issue with the pride march? Listen, I had said that with these kind of events [the queer community] are showing how unequal they are. You are showing how different you are, and there were heads of organisations like the Malta Gay Rights Movement (MGRM) that agreed with me. wIf you want equality, with these theatrics you are showing how unequal you are, and that you are different. It used to make sense in the past, but now that they have all the rights they need and are accepted by society, it does not anymore. You really think they are accepted by society? 100%. Even when I was young at school you had boys who looked effeminate and no one ever bullied anyone. So, you are saying that up until this day, society has fully accepted queer individuals? From what I see. Now, I can't know what happens… But that's it. You and I are not gay peo- ple, and so we don't know what happens in their daily life. We don't know what it means to be born a male but feel com- fortable in stilettos and having to face abuse for it… It could be the case. Can't we do both things at the same time? When it comes to young children I don't think so. When they are 13, 14, 15 maybe, but young children no. Leave children in their innocence and teach them love and respect for everyone. But when they are very young, to teach them about sexual orientation, I don't think so. I don't see the benefit of it.