Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/236916
10 Interview A year in inter A collection of some of the best quotes from 2013's newsmakers, who helped framed the debate that kept the island high on politics, entertainment and controversy. Compiled by TIM ATTARD MONTALTO Manuel Micallef – From union to Labour Our priority to lift those at the bottom upwards remains there, but not by bringing others down. For every one euro that the country produces, the state incurs one euro worth of debt. Carmel Cacopardo – The Greens branch out The country should not be run by remote control from the government. Neither can it be run by televoting, as Joe Muscat proposes. Deborah Schembri – Practical Politics Every era seems to have its own way of doing politics, and I didn't like it then (the PL in the 80s). But I am a firm believer that people change, learn and progress and I think that the 80s have taught many people a lesson. Ian Castaldi Paris – Only a clean sweep can save MEPA As far as I'm concerned, you can restructure MEPA all you want but unless there is a clean sweep of the people involved, it will not achieve anything in practice. Evarist Bartolo – Nurturing business while maintaining a social conscience Decisions involving politicians should not be taken by politicians. Joseph Muscat – Campaigning in poetry, governing in poetry Kristy Debono – Voters want change of faces (Sunday, 13 January) Labour's proposals on energy are unimpressive. If today I am pledging meritocracy, then meritocracy it will be. Doing otherwise would only mean returning to the old way of doing politics. Tonio Fenech – The bigger picture Lawrence Gonzi – It is up to the electorate to judge me When people start thinking of the PL proposals, they will say that they will prefer a job to a cheque of €150 which they probably will not even receive. They will see the bigger picture... Konrad Mizzi – A man with a plan There will be no need to resign from parliament because we will make it happen (referring to Labour's energy strategy). Konrad Buhagiar – The buildings that make us proud When there's a boom, people build. The rest of the time there's a lull and architecture is left to languish, and the fact is that most of us live in times when there is more of a lull than a boom. Antoine Borg – Failure is not an option What Muscat, as ship captain, is actually telling us here is: 'I'm not sure exactly where I'm going, or how, exactly, I am going to get there. But don't worry: if I don't manage, I'll just jump overboard'. Excuse me, but how does that help the passengers? What good would it do them for the captain to abandon ship? They'd just be stuck on a ship that has lost direction and is heading for disaster... Edward Zammit Lewis – A new face for 'a change from within' GonziPN has devalued Parliament. Karmenu Vella – We've got the power They (Labour) want to take us back to the ugly days when the justice police and courts were used to obstruct justice itself. Franco Debono – Fenech Adamis made PN their own property The party was nothing but a showcase for what was going on backstage, behind the curtains, where the real power within the party is vested. Who are they? Richard Cachia Caruana, Austin Gatt and the Fenech Adami family. Claudio Grech – The time for absolutism is over It is irrelevant to have the creation of jobs and a health and education system which were delivering, while ignoring how people were actually living in their own household. Francis Zammit Dimech – The PN's new 'soldiers of steel' We made the mistake of assuming that if a government gets the economy right, if it sails the ship of state successfully through troubled waters, then people would see the substance, and would choose on the basis of safety and stability. Leo Brincat – Taking stock in the lion's den If government manages to reconcile the views of Birdlife and the hunters' federation on this particular issue after two weeks in power it will have done a lot. Simon Busuttil – Last man standing In a sense I have been singled out for blame, because the others are simply no longer there. I was the only one left... Raymond Bugeja – The PN's offmenu option The party needs to adapt. Even the Church, under Pope Francis, is updating its structures. If even the Church acknowledges the need to renew itself from time to time... Mario de Marco – Riding the perfect storm My father had a different approach to politics. I don't want to say he was impulsive, but he had a way of taking a decision first and then dealing with consequences as they arose afterwards. I tend to take the opposite approach: I like to weigh all possible outcomes and eventualities first, and then decide... Vince Cassar – MEPA's less expensive car MEPA should become more user-friendly. My aim is to ensure that the ordinary person would not feel that MEPA is a bureaucratic obstacle to getting a legitimate permit. Beppe Fenech Adami – The third way man People will not return to us and say sorry for voting Labour. People will only return if they recognise that we have changed and if we represent their aspirations. Anglu Farrugia – Parliament's guardian angel Today I am no longer part of the Labour Party... I no longer take sides. Claudette Buttigieg – No token lady Labour changed because of us. And just like Tony Blair thanked Thatcher for changing Labour, Joseph Muscat must thank us. Michael Farrugia – The PS with a hot potato My heart will beat well when I am criticised by both environmentalists and developers. That is the best sign that I am on the right path. John Dalli – The unambiguous circumstantial evidence The whole basis of the allegations by Swedish Match... was based on a lie. Giovanni Bonello – Is justice being served