Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/866589
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 27 AUGUST 2017 15 Interview PN leadership hopeful CHRIS SAID on the importance of an innovative forward-looking vision... that 'reaffirms the party's core principles' its time beliefs are in the dignity of all peo- ple, whoever they are, wherever they come from. We need to work for the common good. Today's government is working only for 'me, today'. 'Me, and my pocket'. Another belief is the principle of solidarity – you can build an en- tire political platform on that one word... On the subject of solidarity: how much of that did you show immigrants, when you held a press conference in St Paul's Bay, and gave the impression that all that locality's security issues arise from multiculturalism? No, I didn't say that. You are misquoting me. I was clear that immigrants who are among us, and who have a right to be here, have the right to stay and work... but they need to observe the law. You cannot have groups who cre- ate a [disturbance]... and they can be Maltese groups, too... without proper action or law enforcement by the authorities. So why single out immigrants? The law should be observed by everybody, it goes without saying. And such disturbances are not a new phenomenon... there were similar security issues in Paceville long before the arrival of any immigrants... But today you have situations where residents in places like Bu- gibba, Qawra, Swieqi, Paceville... ... in other words, where there are immigrant communities. But that's where the problem is being felt. Shouldn't a politician go where the problem is being felt, and talk to residents, and address the issue? You seem to see security as an issue only when it involves foreigners... That's not true. Didn't we make public statements about security when there were life-threatening situations in Paceville? Of course we did. The point is we need to put people's mind at ease... In the interest of not getting side- tracked, let us return to the vision question. You talk of 'solidarity', 'dignity of the individual', 'the right to life', etc. None of that is in any way new. Those are all the motifs and slogans of the Eddie Fenech Adami era. 'Solidarnosch' was a Polish political slogan back in 1989... So should we discard them be- cause they're too old? Solidarity was important 30 years ago, and it's just as important today. In to- day's society, there are people who are suffering. They're not keeping up with the cost of living. So we need to show solidarity with those people. We need to build a po- litical platform based on solidarity with those people. There are con- cepts which remain important no matter how much time goes by... All the same, that platform will not be yours. I didn't ask you to describe the structures and slogans created by Fenech Adami 40 years ago. I asked what you intend to build on those foundations yourself... Part of the reason old principles remain valid is that their impor- tance is rediscovered by changing circumstances. Let me give an ex- ample of part of my vision: space. Not as in 'outer space', of course, but the space around us. This is a small country: we have spa- tial limitations. Especially now, thanks largely to the free-for-all mentality this government is in- troducing... Wasn't that mentality already there? Beach concessions, projects eating up into open space, ODZ extensions... those were all Nationalist introductions, too... And yet people say we lost the [2013] election because, for exam- ple, MEPA wasn't giving out any permits. I think you might have heard that a few times. But this is part of the past... you criticise me for looking backwards, but now you're the one looking at the past... Fair enough, I'll take the criticism. The reality is that what we have in the country today: the econo- my, industry, tourism, health, ed- ucation, infrastructure... it all has the stamp of the Nationalist Party on it. But that's the past. What of the future? What are the people feeling? People are now feeling that they're living in a claustro- phobic environment. Go to the beach, everyone is piled up on each other. Walk along the coast, you have to pick your way through tables and chairs. Drive your car, and you have to work out how to get from one place to the other in as short a time as possible. Almost wherever you live, you have to go round in circles to find a parking space. You live in an apartment block; suddenly a permit comes out for two or three additional storeys... without added garages. You feel suffocated. This is what is emerging from all the meet- ings I've had with people, and also throughout my recent political life. How do we address this? We need to have a clear vision of how to solve these problems... OK, but again: you're not telling what your own vision is... My vision is to create space, not eliminate it. I want to lead the Nationalist Party to ensure that public spaces are well-managed. Not just public spaces, but even private spaces. How can we issue permits for new apartments, in a residential area, if we know there isn't enough parking space for the new residents? This is the result of bad planning. It lowers the qual- ity of life for everyone in the area. So as a party, we mustn't be afraid of coming out with innovative policies and ideas on how to solve these problems.