Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/829797
maltatoday, TUESDAY, 30 MAY 2017 15 How did you first get in- volved in politics? My interest in politics be- gan as I grew older and more independent. In an environ- ment where politics is high on many people's agenda, it was almost impossible for me not to learn and understand bet- ter the political situation in the country. I decided to ac- tually get involved in politics around two years ago. I had attended one of the events or- ganised by the Maltese Young Greens in Valletta and since then, I continued working in the political sphere. W hich part of the political life appeals to you? Politics is a tough game and we are often faced with dif- ficult situations. As a woman in politics, a student and a mother, it is very difficult to keep up but I have a lot of support and I have managed so far. The part of politics which I find most appealing is the opportunity that I am given to speak up about the things we like, the things we do not like and most of all, the things which can be im- proved. W hy AD? Alternattiva Demokratika gave me a space where I could share my views, be part of the team and work together to represent more people. I agree with the green principles fol- lowed by the Green Party so I feel that I could openly rep- resent them. Another nice thing about AD is that we are united and we help each other out for a good cause. The current system makes AD's chances of getting elected extremely hard: can AD make it on its own? W hat are the main challenges? Alternattiva Demokratika is a small party and we defi- nitely cannot run the country however, we can be elected in parliament if people vote for us. I strongly believe that we need more young people in parliament and we definitely need a third party. We need people in parliament who truly care about the environ- ment and the people, and not just the paycheck at the end of the month. I believe that AD is the voice of reason in the political crisis that we are all facing. We face many challenges. It has been very evident over the years that the majority of people support the two ma- jor parties' partisan politics. Sometimes, people follow them blindly without really understanding what the party is saying and what the party is doing. This is a very big challenge for us because we not only need to break this barrier but we also need to get the people to listen and understand our green values. How can AD attract more young people? I was attracted to AD be- cause I shared the same val- ues that the party had to offer. The problem with par- tisan politics is that people are not open to new ideas and hence are not always willing to listen to what we have to say. I believe in continuing the work we are doing and continue encouraging young people to listen, to think and to understand as individuals. This I think, is very impor- tant. 'Vote Green, Vote Clean' is AD's electoral slogan: don't you think that the electorate places issues like job crea- tion and tax cuts before is- sues like good governance? The electorate chooses not to put good governance first because they seem to be in denial of what is happen- ing in the country. It is more beneficial for governments to put job creation and tax cuts before anything else because these are the ways that they will earn votes. A newspaper recently de- scribed a vote for AD as a vote 'for Labour'. In reaction, someone said that this was 'an act of bullying'. What is your comment? A vote for AD is a vote for AD. There is no doubt about that. There is no rightful ar- gument for parties to resort to scaremongering amongst their people to gain votes. I think it is an immature way of doing politics. Based on your door-to-door encounters, what are the top three concerns of families? This election came at an extremely bad time because I am just finishing off my sec- ond year of my degree. I did not have the time or the en- ergy to do house visits, how- ever I have attended events which have given me the op- portunity to speak to people about their issues. Good gov- ernance is at the top of eve- ryone's agenda. Traffic issues and the state of the environ- ment are the two other issues many people discuss with me. W hich, in your opinion, was the government's best deci- sion and worst mistake over the past four years? The government's best deci- sion was to provide free child care, I feel this has helped many mothers to get back into the working industry. The government's approach towards our environment is one of the worst mistakes (apart from the denial of all scandals, and the reclamation of all institutions etc.), made in the past four years. People elected the Labour Party with the impression that some- thing positive will come out of the past state of the envi- ronment however I feel im- mensely disappointed. W hich, in your opinion, was Alternattiva Demokratika's best decision and worst mis- take, as a party? What many might consider the worst decision is not ac- cepting to contest in the PN's name since this way AD gave up an easy possibility of hav- ing candidates elected. I in- stead believe that this was a noble choice of principle, in- deed the best choice. Though controversial, we stuck to our principles. I would like to be clear before I am bombard- ed with criticism – I would have agreed with a coalition should it have been done ap- propriately but the circum- stances did not allow it. I do encourage people to read more about the issues (and read the right material) re- lated to the coalition before I am bombarded with nasty messages against the party. Danika Formosa is contesting the ninth and tenth districts for Alternattiva Demokratika Meet the candidates Sometimes people follow the major parties blindly without really understanding what the party is saying and doing Good governance is at the top of everyone's agenda. Traffic issues and the state of the environment are the two other issues people discuss with me Sometimes people follow politicians blindly without really understanding what their party is doing: AD candidate DANIKA FORMOSA tells MaltaToday why the Green Party is the alternative party The voice of reason