Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/881840
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 OCTOBER 2017 15 Interview That is how outgoing PD leader Dr MARLENE FARRUGIA views her role within the fragile 'Forza Nazzjonali' coalition. But does it tally with her actual performance as an Opposition MP? on the right track much earlier and much stronger on the good governance issue. To- day, it is clear that there was a lot holding Simon Busuttil back. Our hope, when forming the coalition, was that voters would have more candidates to choose from, and could therefore choose the best candidates to promote the agenda of good governance. At the end of the day, however, the people chose the lesser of two evils... That also means the electorate considered FN the greater of two evils... No: if FN won the election, it would have swept the place clean. If more people like me were elect- ed, we would have cleaned up the mess. But the people didn't have confidence that we could get this done, for reasons I've already ex- plained. On the one hand, the PN media were hopelessly weak. Hopelessly. It is clear that there were undercurrents, within the PN itself, that almost didn't want FN to win. And we were up against an extremely professional, well-oiled media machine wielded by Labour, with all Joseph Mus- cat's power of incumbency. So Labour won only because of spin and propaganda? No, there was more to it than that. Labour implemented certain measures that improved the living conditions of people. Even if these were short-term measures, those who benefit will say, 'Yes, today I have more money in my pocket. Today, I have a job. Yesterday, I didn't have one.' So, if the Op- position still had all the question marks hovering over it... who can blame the people for voting the way they did? The current situation within the PN may also have repercussions for the democratic process as a whole. There are now doubts as to whether the party can even survive as a single entity. Wouldn't this have dire consequences for the role of the Opposition... and if so, wouldn't you (as part of the Opposition) also have a responsibility towards ensuring that democracy is not weakened? Our responsibility, as PD, is to help the PN – because Delia is a Nationalist, but the Nationalist Party is not Delia – to stay on the path that the country needs, as an Opposition party: so that, for instance, we don't start choosing which issues to oppose, and which to ignore. I can assure you the PD will be doing its duty. And let me reiterate: it is not PD that is keep- ing Delia from entering Parlia- ment, but his own colleagues who don't want him as leader. Even they are unconvinced that Delia can be the Opposition leader the country needs to fight against a government that is drowning in intrigue, such as Muscat's Labour government. Seeing as, however, you have not excluded the possibility of a future PN leadership bid... some might interpret your opposition to Delia today as a ruse to force a future vacancy in the leadership, in order to contest for it yourself. Absolutely not. So much so, I can assure you from now that in the next five years, I will not con- test any election that might un- dermine the PN... so as to make sure nobody gets that impression. So if, for argument's sake, there is another leadership election in the next five years – as some voices within the PN are already anticipating – you will not contest? I was talking about elections in general – e.g., European elections – where the result might under- mine the work of Delia and his colleagues. My question was not about that kind of election. Would you contest for the PN leadership, if the opportunity arises between now and the next general election? I can't answer that right now. At the moment, I am the outgoing leader of the Partit Demokratiku. My biggest ambition, and I hope I can fulfil it, is to put up serious opposition to Joseph Muscat's government in parliament: an op- position that is critical and con- structive, but also sincere.