Determined to win

Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi says a clear distinction between Eddie Fenech Adami's style and him as prime minister would be the way he would deal with the media. In an interview with Jesmond Bonello, Dr Gonzi makes a strong appeal to councillors to think hard before casting their vote.

I am going to ask you why you are contesting the leadership and please don't tell me you are doing it for the country or to give service to the nation. I personally believe that only Dr Fenech Adami can get away with such romantic statements.

I disagree completely with your statement. Why did I contest the 1987 election? Why did I accept the prime minister's invitation to take up the Speaker's chair? To enter politics, I had to give up all connections with the private sector, including a good job and a much better salary. I can assure you I didn't gain anything else out of politics and I am in politics because I sincerely believe I can be of service. If there is any other answer to your question, I should not be in politics.

Do you think you will win the race?

Yes.

Winning the leadership race and becoming prime minister at this point in time will surely not be a bed of roses. The PN has practically been in office since 1987, the current economic and financial situation is not exciting and the chances of any Nationalist leader winning the next election are not so great. Do you agree with my assessment?

Not with all your statements. The country has gone through a difficult patch, which included several months of campaigning for the referendum and the election. That period has slowed down the economy and, to make it worse, that moment coincided with a weak international economic situation, which obviously didn't help. Personally, I believe there are indications that the economic situation will improve over the coming months.

In all honesty, don't you think the PN is approaching the end of an era?

Yes. But we are starting a new one. We are going through dramatic changes, which will take the form of regenerating our own party in time for the next election.

But at the end of this legislature the PN would have been in office for 20 years. You cannot expect to continue winning each and every election.

As long as our policies remain the best policies and as long as we translate those policies into concrete results and improve the quality of life of people, there is nothing to stop us from winning again. God forbid that elections will be decided on rotation between the two parties.

In this campaign, some people in your own party suggested you are not decisive enough to be prime minister. They say you are charismatic and all that, but they fear you might turn out to be a weak leader. Obviously you would disagree with that statement and I would do the same if someone accuses me of being a weakling. Why do you think certain people are accusing you of being weak?

Nobody had that opinion when I was Speaker. Nobody said that I was weak between 1996 and 1998 when we had to regain confidence in ourselves and set up Net TV. Nobody said I was weak in recent years when I had to tackle very sensitive issues, including the shipyards, the La Salle issue and the abuse in social services. I believe such statements are merely part of a campaign by certain individuals with their own agenda and different interests. There is no credibility to this type of argument. I don't believe negative campaigning will get anyone anywhere. I just smile when I hear these things.

If you are appointed prime minister, you will be faced with two crucial decisions instantly - choosing your Cabinet and the nomination for the election of a new President. Will you be nominating Eddie Fenech Adami for the presidency and are you planning a significant reshuffle?

I don't want to commit myself on either issue.

But will you make significant changes to Cabinet?

If elected I will have to choose a new foreign minister and a new social policy minister for sure. I will not comment any further at this stage.

Will you consider revoking the pardon to Joseph Fenech?

No. There are specific rules that regulate the granting of a pardon, which are not at the discretion of the government.

I believe that throughout his term of office Dr Fenech Adami suffered from a permanent disability of not being media oriented. I also believe his disability was contained by few people close to him. In my opinion, you suffer from the same disability.

I believe the media is an important tool and I agree that we have not been media oriented enough to project the enormous volume of work that has been carried out over the past years. However, I am sometimes cautious when it comes to making certain statements and I prefer not to raise expectations unless I am sure that I am not talking about something that is achievable.

So will you be doing something about your relations with the media as prime minister?

If one had to comparing me with Dr Fenech Adami this would probably be one of the sharp differences between the style adopted over the past years and the new style I shall be introducing.

Can you elaborate?

I want to see more regular and smooth meetings in a comfortable manner and as open as possible between the government at the top level and the media.

Do you have something specific in your mind?

Yes. But it's premature to talk about it.

It is a fact that the campaign by the three contenders, including yourself, was very intense indeed. There are evident leaks in the Labour Party press and some of the independent media.

That doesn't concern me. I am just focused on my campaign.

The finance minister was recently quoted as saying Austin Gatt was supporting him, implying Dr Gatt is not supporting you. It seems the issue of where Dr Gatt stands in this election is still a mystery. Is Dr Gatt supporting Mr Dalli or you?

I leave it to Dr Gatt whether he would like to answer that question. Everyone should be free to decide for oneself as to where one's preferences lie.

In an interview some days ago, Mr Dalli was quoted as saying he was not impressed by the collection of 275 signatures for your nomination and that this was an unnecessary exercise? What do you have to say?

To tell you the truth I was impressed myself with the 275 signatures because they represented the different categories and sectors within the party. Of course, a nomination is just a nomination. It means that those who signed it were happy with the fact that my name was on the list of candidates. That is good enough for me as far as the nomination is concerned. As to their preferences when they vote, that is another issue. But, I did consider it to be quite an impressive nomination.

Mr Dalli also said that at that particular moment he enjoyed support from 40 per cent of the councillors and that a significant amount of other councillors are still undecided. Do you agree with his assessment?

I don't have his polls.

I am sure you have your own polls?

Yes. But I will keep them close to my chest. However, I did tell you I believe I will win the contest.

Another important consideration in this campaign is obviously Dr Fenech Adami. Do you think he is supporting Mr Dalli, Dr Galea or yourself?

I would advise you to ask that question to Dr Fenech Adami, whom I would advise not to respond.

What do you consider to be your greatest strength and greatest weakness?

My greatest strength is patience, listening to people and valuing opinions, even of people who disagree dramatically with my vision. My greatest weakness is undoubtedly my smoking.

Some contenders in the leadership race refer repeatedly to decisions that have to be taken. What was to stop you all from taking them years ago... I mean, the party has been in government for many years.

Precisely. I think this is a very important point. We take decisions every day. I am not the one who is saying that we need to take decisions. Who is saying this? Who says that we have not been taking decisions? We have been taking decisions every single day. For the past five years I didn't have time to enjoy myself or take a holiday. Why do we take everything for granted? We have managed to change the landscape of this country over the years.

How do you rate your performance as minister, on a scale of 1 to 10?

I will leave other people to judge my performance.

What criteria do you think the councillors will use when choosing who to vote for? Do you think it will be character or performance?

Both.

If you lose in the first round, which of the other contenders would you back?

That is a decision that I would take if and when such a scenario arises.

If you win, who would you support as deputy?

A leader should not take sides.

If you lose, what role do you see yourself occupying?

I am the deputy leader of the party. Whether I would be a deputy prime minister and also a minister with a portfolio depends on who the prime minister will be and whether he would also nominate me as a minister.

The campaign is now almost over. What is your last message to the party councillors?

My message is for the councillors to reflect on the important decision they have to take and we should start to think about the day after this election. Let us concentrate on getting the party up and running after the election because, after all, we are in government and have an important job to do.

Do you think the election can be concluded tomorrow?

I would really like that.

Profile

Age: 50

Political career: Entered politics in 1987 and was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1988 and was re-elected unanimously in 1992. In 1996 he successfully contested the general election. Elected general secretary of the PN in 1996. Appointed Social Policy Minister in 1998 and a few months later was elected PN deputy leader and appointed deputy prime minister.

Status: Married to Catherine Callus and has three children: David, Mikela and Paul.