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MT 1 June 2017

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maltatoday, THURSDAY, 1 JUNE 2017 23 How did you first get involved in politics? I have been involved in poli- tics for a long time, consider- ing that I am still young at just 29. I started my involvement in the Labour Youth Forum (FZL) back when I was still a teen- ager, and from there on, things progressed until – at 20 years of age – I contested the local council elections and I was elected. I was, and still am, the youngest councillor ever to be elected to the Mellieħa Local Council. Four years ago I contested the general election on the 12th district, and at the same time I also contested the local coun- cil election. I was elected depu- ty mayor of the Mellieħa Local Council, and since then I have worked tirelessly in a number of areas which were assigned to me as part of my council re- sponsibilities. These included a number of EU-Funded Pro- grammes, where the council has also managed to place third in all of Europe, and a large number of successful cul- tural and popular events, all of which have put my beloved lo- cality on the map. Which part of the political life appeals to you? I see politics as being a voca- tion rather than anything else – where the politician elected is by the people and needs to act for the people. This means that all persons involved in any level of politics, whether it's the local council, Parliament or even the European Parlia- ment, are duty-bound to try and change the people's lives for the better. They need to be in sync with the changes which are taking place in society, as I believe that politicians need to manage change rather than allow the change in society to take over our lives. When one helps a person to lead a better life, a simple "thank you" is all it takes to make it all worth- while. Why Labour? I have been brought up in a hard-working middle-class family, where we have been taught the value of hard work and to appreciate the posi- tive results which such hard work leads to. I see the Labour Party as representing all work- ers, and since its election in government, this has been the most pro-business government that Malta has ever seen. Being pro-business means being pro- workers, since at the end of the day, business and the workers go hand-in-hand together. If elected, what do you per- sonally hope to change? The present administration has been a catalyst for change in a number of sectors, howev- er, there are still issues which need to be tackled. I come from a locality where there are a lot of farmers and fishermen, all of whom have mentioned to me a number of problems which they encounter on a day to day basis. I believe that this sector, with all its challenges, needs to be seriously addressed in or- der to ensure that more young people become involved in it to help Maltese fresh produce take centre-stage once again. Based on your door-to-door encounters, what are the top three concerns of families? When the people look back on the past four years they un- derstand that this government has managed to create wealth and jobs for all the people. Therefore, going forward, they want stability in our country so that such creation of wealth continues to increase. Coming from a relatively rural district, I met with a lot of hunters and trappers, all of whom raised their concern that this age-old tradition would be abolished. These people know where they stand and agree with the Labour Party's proposals on this subject. Young families are also interested a lot in the educational sector, a sector in which the present govern- ment has continued to invest in. If re-elected, this govern- ment will continue to invest in this important sector, and the education system in Malta will surely give us better results. Which are the three key La- bour proposals for youth and students? There are a number of solid and costed proposals in these sectors. Among these we find the opportunity for students to make use of free public trans- port, a whole year of free inter- net for young students to help them pursue their studies af- ter they finish their secondary education, and a the removal of the SEC exams' fees. On the other hand, young families will continue to ben- efit from the first-time buyers' scheme, an €850 grant to all young people who are inter- ested in going to a different country to learn another lan- guage and the construction of a sport car race track for all car enthusiasts. Do you think that students are satisfied with the Labour government's performance? I honestly believe that stu- dents have been at the centre of a number of positive decisions which the government took in the past four years. The in- vestment in education covered infrastructure and a better educational system. The gov- ernment also kept its word on the tablet pledge, and it is now putting forward a number of positive proposals for the next legislature. This election has been char- acterised by allegations of corruption, with the PN ac- cusing Labour of betraying the electorate's trust. Why should the PL be trusted again? There is a huge difference between making allegations and actually acting upon them. This has been the first govern- ment to actually start tackling corruption by introducing the whistle-blower act, removing the prescription on acts car- ried out by politicians and also introducing the party financ- ing law – three laws which previous adminsitrations were always reluctant to introduce and never did. On the other hand, this has also been the first government to keep itself under check and it managed to implement 90% of its electoral pledges, mak- ing it the first government to keep its word on nearly all its pledges. Which, in your opinion, was the government's best deci- sion and worst mistake over the past four years? The government's forte is its economic management and the creation of jobs and wealth. This economic success has also underpinned other major social changes which took place over the past four years such as the increase in pensions and the reduction in utility bills, which are leaving more money in the people's pockets. Another important aspect is the introduction of new civil rights which brought about a big change in people's mentality as well. I think that the worst mistake would be to try and accelerate change in a society which had become used to the status quo. While the government had all the right intentions at heart, certain decisions may have been seen as too radical and rash when in fact they could have been explained better. Which, in your opinion, was the opposition's best decision and worst mistake over the past four years? The opposition's proposals never really took off – it tried to please too many sectors of the Maltese society by always opposing anything which the government proposed. Howev- er, this may also prove to be its achilles heel, since the people are fed up with negative, divi- sive and destructive politics. On the other hand, the op- position's best decision was in fact a u-turn in itself. After opposing the introduction of divorce and civil unions, the opposition totally backtracked on its position and now agrees with these civil rights, even though I think that this change of heart may have been driven by political expediency rather than by anything else. Meet the candidates Being pro-business means being pro-workers Changing people's life for the better At 29, Clayton Bartolo is a PL candidate standing for the national election on the 12 district. He talks about his vision

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