Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/658018
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 MARCH 2016 15 gentlemen did not find difficulties – and real difficulties. Even when we had Toni Pellegrini: he had been instructed to 'stop Emmy Bezzina from broadcasting'…. But Toni, with his many defects, stuck up for me by personally calling the Prime Minister – Karmenu Mifsud Bon- nici, at the time – in my presence, and telling him that 'Emmy must continue with his programmes, be- cause they are doing this country a world of good'. It was in fact this episode that got me tempted to en- ter the political fray as a candidate. I never intended to be a candidate. It's just that it suited the political pow- ers that be, so to speak. In return for having this freedom in broadcast- ing, I was to submit my candidature. Of course I did… but it left me im- mensely disappointed, and that is why at the first opportunity – that is to say once Mifsud Bonnici, whom I treasure immensely, retired from politics, I followed suit." This brings us to another paradox. Emmy Bezzina is not the first to try and break the two-party mould… yet his own stint in politics (with the Alpha Liberal Party) and the expe- rience of others, suggest that Malta prefers to retain it. Having said that, Bezzina's television popularity also underscores that there may well be a popular groundswell of feeling of disillusionment with politics at the moment. How does Emmy Bezzina square this circle? If people subliminally want change (as he suggests they do)… why do they never vote for it? "This is a most interesting ques- tion. The so-called two-party po- litical mould – which, in one of your articles, you rightly said has failed – well, the breaking point has not come for two reasons. One, they are in tacit agreement between themselves not to legislate to leave a space for the third political force to come in. That is one reason, briefly put. The second is that the two main parties, against all concepts of democracy… against all broadcast- ing principles in the European Un- ion... have formed their own media organisations. They peddle a lot of rubbish. Most of the discussions are not only clearly manipulated, but are viewed only through the prism of whether you are red or blue… and this means they were able to se- duce, to flirt with and to sleep with influential people in the commercial world." The results, he adds, are all around us. "Influential people in the com- mercial world are like sharks… once they smell that they can advance fi- nancially, once they smell that they can keep grasping public land… then there is a tit for tat. We give you money to publicise your party; we give you money behind the scenes, in the form of commissions that may or may not appear… or may end up as a 92 euro deposit in some Panama company… whatever. This is the reason. "Now, the people have to realise that if they want a real change, and democracy prevails in this country by having a third political force in parliament, they must become suf- ficiently educationally advanced to be able to say: red and blue must not exist at all. This is the mission. I want to break into people's minds that can speak out; that they need not be afraid to go against the cur- rent. That they are to resist any dic- tatorships that might be running the country. That ministers are no gods; but human beings, who shit and piss just like any other human being. To these people we must say: no sir, you are the 'honourable'. We are the honourable people, and we will dictate to you how you will run the country as we wish." How optimistic is he for mission accomplishment? "For the moment, we are not quite there. And it is much to my disap- pointment that I see this young Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, whom I publicly backed…" he paus- es. "'Backed', not 'begged'. B-A-C-K- E-D… I had faith that Joe Muscat, a young politician, would come and reverse the trend. His promises were so enticing: meritocracy, transpar- ency… that we also work with those who may not agree with us, but who are willing to work with us. All these promises have gone down the drain. This administration has been a string of one scandal after another. And I must tell you, there has been a lot of pressure, not just on me, but also the owners of the station, to try and control my output on the pro- grammes. This is something I will keep resisting, because I believe in freedom of speech. But there is a catch…" The catch, he explains, is that you have to find the right formula. "It is useless to go before the cameras and be dictatorial or aggressive with the people. Yes, we must have an ag- gressive attitude in how to impart the message. But this must come with a sense of humour. But people who are, unfortunately, not up to the level of George Bernard Shaw, or any of the great literary works…. you have to address them with something they can easily assimi- late. Such as 'peas', and 'onions', and empty shells of some … erm… deli- cacy… or even go down to the rig- orous sounds of some words in the vernacular. Yesterday I announced that what we need in this country is a 'Socjeta Organizzata tar-Reciklagg tal-Meritokrazija u Impartiality'. Of course, it's a long phrase to say all at once: so let us shorten it to one simple word. SORMI. Let us enjoy SORMI. Let us live by SORMI, be- cause with SORMI, Malta will be first and foremost." Interview 'Il Parlament Tal-Poplu', hosted by the flamboyant Dr EMMY BEZZINA, has risen to quasi- cult status among a population increasingly disillusioned by politics. Is there more to the attraction than simply 'peas', 'onions' and 'mouse-droppings marinade'? PHOTOGRAPHY BY RAY ATTARD "Those who, because of their obvious inferiority, cannot communicate or form an argument in any form of logic… have to be psychologically shocked, by harsh words in the vernacular."