Reaching out

One of Michael Falzon's main priorities is to create more space within the Malta Labour Party for everyone. Rosanne Zammit asked the newly appointed MLP deputy leader for party affairs about his relationship with Alfred Sant, the situation within the party, EU membership and the party's relations with its former leader Dom Mintoff.

Do you have a good relationship with Alfred Sant?

We always had a good relationship. There were never any problems.

Do you see him as a good leader?

It is not just up to me to judge. The party is democratic, it has its structures. Dr Sant achieved great things for the party...

But what do you think of him personally?

Dr Sant is my colleague within the party. I worked well with him. There were times we did not agree but I think this is democratic. We think along the same lines, unlike some people seem to think.

Which qualities make him a good leader?

You have to appreciate his intelligence. He is an educated person. He has very good qualities but then everyone has his ways. Dr Sant is perhaps more careful in his ways. Without doubt his maturity is always there, as is his intelligence.

What are the drawbacks of having Dr Sant as leader?

There are no drawbacks in having him as leader. Why should there be? If you feel your leader is in any way a drawback, those who should be your followers will feel the same about you.

Do you believe there are others within the MLP, maybe even yourself, who can do the job better?

I will definitely not speak about myself. In Malta we have two parties, both of which have talent within them and great people. It is not a matter of who is better or worse. The current leader is Dr Sant and we have to work with him. We do so without any problem.

Don't you think that with Eddie Fenech Adami likely to retire before the next election, the MLP missed the opportunity of having a new face as leader, to deal with the new face the Nationalist Party is likely to have?

Dr Sant is still relatively young. Dr Fenech Adami is now over 60.

But Dr Sant will not be contesting Dr Fenech Adami but a new PN leader...

Dr Fenech Adami is an older face than Dr Sant and he won in 1998 and 2003, the same as Dr Sant won in 1996.

So do you not think the PN will have an edge over the MLP because it will have a new leader?

To have an edge you have to have much more than a new leader. There are the policies and we have to see what the country's circumstances are in four or five years time, if not before. We'll see.

What are your aspirations for the leadership of the party?

I did not really have a lot of aspirations to be where I am today. Politics is taxing, demanding and involves big sacrifices. I do not have aspirations. If you want me to be blunt, I am not aspiring to take Dr Sant's place in the next nine months as some people are saying. In future we'll see. In life you can never close the doors to anything.

So your delegates have aspirations for you which you do not have for yourself...

In life it is always like that. There are people who like you and others who like you less. Although in the beginning I felt as if I had been hit by lightning, I think I will like this job, working within the party. I like working with people a lot, I am people oriented, at least that's what they say. But I have no other aspirations.

Not even to get into parliament?

I don't know. Many people start asking you which district you will be contesting. I was also asked this before the last two elections.

It was the first time ever that a party leader was contested. How do you view the development, as positive?

The party has its statute. This provides for changing or confirming the leader. It is a democratic exercise. The delegates chose who they had to chose. It shows there is space for others within the party.

Should challengers be encouraged or will they face retribution?

When I was meeting party delegates I told them I wanted to do three things: create more space within the party, do a lot of outreaching outside it and retain values. What I said still applies. It is surely not a case of retribution. Space within the party should grow and not shrink, for everyone.

Do you think the challengers' chances of re-election to parliament next time round have been damaged?

I do not think so. One cannot say. You have to remember that while the leadership is chosen by delegates it is voters within a district who elect MPs. We are still far away from an election. There were those who said they were committing political suicide. But the people are supreme. We should let them decide.

Do you believe the MLP can change with Dr Sant at the helm and you and Charles Mangion as deputy leaders?

I think it is not just the party which has to change. In life everyone has to change, more so in a purely political context where one has to appeal to the people.

Can a deputy leader bring about change? Both John Attard Montalto and Anglu Farrugia, who contested the leadership, had said they would not be contesting the election for deputy leadership as only the leader had the power to make change. Do you agree with this?

What I believe, and I always say this, is that one cannot achieve anything on one's own, whether one is leader or deputy leader. If what you are proposing is liked by others and there are people who believe in it, there will be changes, whatever your position.

And you believe you have the power to convince?

I do not think I can be the judge of that. There are those who say I can. What is sure is that where I believe change should be made, I am committed and I have the courage to speak up about what needs to be done.

What change do you believe is most badly required within the MLP?

I think the most important thing in any organisation is a feeling of belonging. I would like to create more space on the inside. I want everyone within the party to feel important.

I also want to reach out. It is a big, strong party with a 47.5 per cent following.

But what is important for a political party is that it wins the election. To win an election a party requires a following of 50 per cent plus one. So I want the party to do a lot of reaching out.

Are these changes already being discussed within the party?

I have been deputy leader for just a few days. I can say that I have met Dr Sant and Dr Mangion several times since the election and discussed several issues. Obviously, there will be a lot more debate in other organs and what I am emphasising is that what there is, is not necessarily bad. There are things we should retain, others we should update and we should have the courage to change where necessary.

Do you see a need for change or reconfirmation of the current administration this month?

I think it would be unfair of me to pass any comment in that sense. I formed part of the administration so I have to shoulder part of the collective responsibility and I have no problem doing so. On the other hand, to have a deputy leader expressing himself about changes in the administration is very unfair and I should not comment. The delegates are supreme within the party. They elected me and whenever they want they can get rid of me. That is part of the internal democracy and it is up to them to decide.

You were a member of the party administration before the election. Were you happy with the policies the party promoted for the election, which obtained a humiliating election result for the MLP?

Humiliating is a bit tough. It was not a positive result. I have to say we had a good electoral programme. There were things which were not well liked and maybe it had a lot of nitty gritty. It was factual. But I never had a problem with it. The policies were what they were. I agreed with them. Those who say there is a policy or a decision they did not agree with are being unfair on the others because they were also part of the structure.

Don't you think the huge defeat showed that the MLP was completely out of touch with the electorate?

You are again saying huge defeat. What is certain is that we did not cater, or did not manage to transmit our message to the majority of the people. There is nothing to deny in that. But I think it is unfair at this stage, when emotions are still running high, that with the benefit of hindsight, one starts pointing fingers. I do not think I should do that.

Do you agree with the interpretation that "partnership" won the EU referendum?

This is not an issue of agreeing or disagreeing. The party had said beforehand that only the election result was binding and that it did not recognise the referendum as a decisive conclusion. The election result is there. The people have decided. They are supreme. The result is reality and I have no difficulty accepting it. That reality is that on May 1 we will be EU members.

Will you not tell me anything about the referendum result?

The referendum result was what it was. What I can tell you is that I was one of the very first to know it.

And how did you see it - as a victory for membership?

I think it is a known fact that I have been in charge of the elections for 11 years and I have never interpreted a result. I have always accepted the people's decision. I do the same today. In less than a year the country will be an EU member and as a party we have to live within that reality. We have to face the threats and, I have no problem saying it, we need to get back on our feet and if there are opportunities, seize them. After all, the best interest is that of the people. And I believe this sincerely.

Former party leader Dom Mintoff has referred more than once to "factions" within the MLP. Is there any chance these "factions" can be brought together to form one united party?

I can tell you I do not believe in factions and I do not have any.

Are there no divisions within the party?

It depends on what one understands by divisions. I have always worked with everyone and I never had problems. If from 10,000 ideas you do not agree with 10, it does not mean there are factions. The important thing is that once a decision is taken you abide by that decision. Obviously, the more homogenous the party is, the stronger it will be.

Is there a place within the MLP for Mr Mintoff and other Labourites who took a stand against the party, on the EU or other issues?

I believe all those who support the values of the MLP should have their place within the party. To get the 50 per cent plus one majority we require about another three per cent. So all those who adhere to Labour's principles of social justice and democracy have their place within the MLP.

What do you think the party should do to get these people back?

In politics we like to say that people did not understand us. I say we did not understand the people. From our side, we have to have more appeal. If you ask me how this will be done, I will tell you I do not know after just a few days in this post.

But do you believe you should be proactive and chase these people yourselves?

The party has to be proactive in whatever it does. We have to work to be the biggest party in Malta. Yes I think we have to be proactive, why not?

Do you think Labour should try to bring back into the fold its former deputy leader, George Abela, who was said to be a possible challenger for the leadership?

All those who support our principles and values should have their place within the party. The party deserves to run the country and the people also deserve to have a Labour government. There has to be space for everyone.

In an interview with The Times, party general secretary Jimmy Magro said the Front Maltin Inqumu was an organisation which was incompatible with the MLP. Taking into consideration that this organisation also includes people who contested the election on behalf of the MLP, what is the party's stand?

The party never expressed itself or took a line against Front Maltin Inqumu. What is definite is that the FMI organises its activities under its own steam and there is no link between the FMI and the MLP. That is all I can say.

What is your position on the EU? Were you ever against membership? I am asking for your personal position.

I believe, as the party also believed, that Malta should have the best relations with the EU. The whole issue was not that the MLP was against the EU, though I know it could have been projected in that manner.

If it was projected in that manner, it was because it projected itself in that way...

I think that is a bit unfair. To say that we projected ourselves against the EU.

The MLP always said it wanted the best relations with the EU, stopping short of membership...

No, it is not an issue of stopping short of membership. You had two parties with one saying it wanted membership. It negotiated this membership and obtained a package. The MLP said that package was not as advantageous as having our own particular relationship with the EU. We called that relationship partnership. That was the difference, not that the MLP was against the EU.

But even before the package was negotiated, the MLP already used to say it was against membership...

Yes, because the MLP could see that membership would have a number of negative effects on the country.

Would it not have been better for the MLP to work on its own package for membership?

Again, with hindsight one could say we could have won. It's unfair to speak with hindsight. After all, one would be attacking policies one had supported. Today membership is the reality and we have to live it as Maltese.

Will it be possible, after Labour's strong stand against EU membership, for the MLP to accept the country's membership of the EU and promote the country's interests in the light of that situation?

There is nothing to accept. As long as we remain a democratic society, this is reality. If you ask me whether this is difficult, I say no. Labour was never an isolated party. The party was not against the EU. Membership is a reality. Let's live it.

Are you for or against the holding of referenda to decide specific issues?

We have not had many referenda in Maltese culture. What I would like to see is equality of means. There was not much of a level playing field in the last referendum.

Are you satisfied with the Referendum Act as it is or do you think it requires changes? What kind?

If it is to be used more frequently, yes. Off the cuff, something which needs to be changed is having equal funding, guaranteeing balanced state broadcasting and a balanced independent media, giving equal space to different views.

So do you not think the independent media should have their own editorial policy?

Obviously, if they are independent or if they are not party media, to put it that way, they have a right to have their own policy but if it is a national issue, there should be democracy at every level.

Do you foresee any changes to the General Elections Act and the way districts are drawn up?

I was involved in the last two amendments to the electoral law. There is still a lot to improve. One of the biggest issues is for the first count votes to be given more weight when it comes to parliamentary representation.

Agreement between the government and the opposition has already been reached on the speaker, deputy speaker and pairing. Does the opposition intend to work hand in hand with the government throughout the legislature?

Those who believe the MLP is a negative party are mistaken. But when there is an agreement it binds both sides. There were several instances when legislation was passed with unanimous agreement between the two sides, such as the financial legislation.

But I do not think that in the past legislature there were many instances where the opposition and the government worked hand in hand...

You also have to look at the government's attitude. If you, for example, look at the electoral districts, in 1996 we had a result which did not reflect reality or the political reality. During its two-year term, the MLP did not have enough time to change the electoral boundaries.

But don't you think it was the MLP which suffered because it did not collaborate with the government?

No. I think that, in the end, the country and the people in general suffered. Because you have to have the courage to describe the good as positive and the bad as negative.

I do not think Labour was a negative party and we will not be that way. But if things are not going well it is our duty to be critical in a constructive manner.

We have been in opposition for a long time and we have to get out of the frame of mind that we are an opposition party and start projecting ourselves as an alternative government.