Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/483475
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 22 MARCH 2015 15 two extra MPs representing 15 votes each. When it comes to proportion- ality, they're only in favour when it suits themselves…" He points out that in the last elec- tion, AD received close to 6,000 votes on a national basis, yet did not win a single seat. "Another thing is that it is not party leaders who decide such issues, but the electorate. Basically, there are two ways to go about the coalition issue. Either after an election, where two parties agree on a programme of government after contesting the election on separate manifestos; or a pre-electoral alliance, in which the coalition partners present a common manifesto. Those are the options to form a coalition. So it's really quite pointless talking about it now, three years before an election…" All the same, Busuttil is still send- ing out a different message from his predecessor Gonzi, who had pre- emptively ruled out a coalition in 2008. Surely that is a development AD would welcome? He shrugs. "It's nothing new really. When one of the bigger parties loses an election, they always start cosying up to AD… in fact, the first attempt would not be to form a coalition, but to co-opt individuals from the party. They approach our candidates to join their own party. Now it's the PN, because they're in opposition. Before the last election it was Labour that tried to poach AD candidates…" Was Cassar approached? He nods. "By the PN, yes, but not by Labour. And all very informally. They tell you things like, 'your place is with us', etc…" This, he adds, is standard behav- iour for the two parties: when in gov- ernment they ignore AD totally; it is only when in opposition that their tune changes. Meanwhile, next month is particu- larly pivotal for AD… it will usher in the spring hunting referendum, as well as local council elections. Let's take them one by one. Hunting has been one of AD's ma- jor battlecries since its inception in 1992. And one of the party's core ar- guments to date has always been that the other two parties have by and large cosied up to the hunting lobby, while ignoring the wider majority. Implicit in this view is the assump- tion that the wider electorate is, in fact, against hunting in spring. This however remains an assumption, and the referendum itself will prove to be its final test. In a sense, this suggests that this referendum may have a lasting im- pact on AD whatever the result. A 'Yes' victory would once and for all shatter the illusion that AD has been the voice of a silent but neglected majority on this issue. And if the 'No' vote wins, AD would in a sense be robbed of one of its most defin- ing political platforms: an issue that has always set it apart from the other parties. Is Ralph Cassar concerned at the possibility of a 'Yes' win? And con- versely, is the party apprehensive that the opposite result might also leave it with little to actually fight for? "Personally I think the 'No' cam- paign will win the referendum. Those are the indications. And if so, it would prove that AD can get results; that our policies can be im- plemented, even if we're not in par- liament…" But wouldn't that also work against AD's interests? People might rea- son that there's no need to actually vote for the Green Party, if the same goals can be achieved through other means… Cassar disagrees. "Not all goals can be achieved by referendum. The ab- rogative referendum law gives the electorate a chance to take decisions; but those decisions can only involve the removal of laws. You can't hold an abrogative referendum to, for in- stance, increase Malta's percentage of energy from renewable sources by 20%... which is one of our other targets. And there are hundreds of issues, which are also on AD's radar, that cannot be decided by means of a referendum…" As for the alternative scenario, Cas- sar is confident that there will never be a shortage of issues for the Green Party to raise even if the hunting issue is settled. "So no, I'm not at all wor- ried. If 'No' wins, it will demonstrate that people have the power to make a change for the better. That alone is far more important than the loss of an electoral platform for AD." Besides, the spring hunting issue in itself cannot be taken in isolation: it points towards a much deeper underlying malaise. "This issue also ties in with the undeniable hold certain lobby groups have on politi- cal parties. We all heard recordings of meetings between hunters and Gonzi before the last election. And the hunters are not the only lobby group that exerts undue influence on the political decision-making proc- ess; there are other special interest groups that have a similar hold. If we can make a difference with regard to the spring hunting referendum, it will only demonstrate that AD can be just as effective elsewhere, too." This brings us to the second elec- toral test. Local councils have always been the one political arena where AD has been able to compete with the other parties: if not on a level playing field, at least with the op- portunity to score a few goals. AD has in fact elected representatives in various localities over the years: not least Ralph Cassar himself, who is a councillor for Attard. What are his own expectations of this election? "I expect people to vote AD because we have shown consistency, and we focus on how to improve localities. Our proposals are doable. We talk about issues that are relevant to local communities. As for the result, that is naturally in the electorate's hands. But I do expect AD to do well…" Is that based on any actual feedback or statistical indication? "Let's just say the messages we are getting ap- pear positive. But you know how it is: these things are difficult to gauge." Interview The spring hunting referendum marks a pivotal chapter for Alternattiva Demokratika – The Green Party. Secretary-general RALPH CASSAR is cautiously optimistic being Green