As the Malta Labour Party gears up for local council elections, Natalino Fenech catches up with MLP deputy leader Michael Falzon, who is responsible for the party's electoral issues.
What is your role as deputy leader for party affairs?
The Malta Labour Party has two deputy leaders. The one for parliamentary affairs has to be an MP. The deputy leader for party affairs can be an MP but does not have to. There is at times an element of overlap but essentially my role is tied much more to the organisation of the party. The electoral process and relations with district and local committees are also my responsibility.
Speaking of relations, have you ever had contacts with Dom Mintoff. Did you ever try to get him back?
I have never met Mr Mintoff personally, though I respect him as a former party leader.
But did you try to bring about some form of reconciliation between Mr Mintoff and the party?
I never had any role in the 1996-1998 issue between Mr Mintoff and the party. As I said I never met Mr Mintoff personally. I know him from a distance and I admire him. In spite of the difficulties, I think it would be a mistake if one did not recognise his influence on the MLP and on the country. But I think it is the protagonists of that dispute who have to sort it out.
You are very often pictured next to Alfred Sant and Charles Mangion. But what is your relationship with both?
The relationship works. We have different styles. I tend to look at party interests more and speak in what are considered more left-wing tones. Some see me as more moderate. We have had positive results. Ultimately, it is the results that count. When one is working for party and national interests, relationships fall into place, if one has such common goals.
Why was Maltastar stopped? You had a call for applications. Did the party find no one to run it?
With the departure of Joseph Muscat and David Borg, a vacuum was created. It has been temporarily stopped but it will be revamped and re-launched. I was not on the interviewing board when the call for applications was made and did not want to be on it. It is being taken care of by others, including a representation from the party leadership.
The party speaks against cuts but staff at Super One were not paid the increments due to them. Why were the increments halted?
Super One is a company owned by the party but run by a board of directors like any other company. An internal exercise is going on at the moment to improve the organisation. We want it to be more professional in the way it delivers its message. The position will become clear very soon.
Does the company intend shedding staff?
No decisions have been taken on reducing staff. We are looking at it comprehensively. For example, we have to go digital by 2010.
What is the financial position of the company?
That is something of a commercial nature. It is a private company and no private company speaks about its financial position in public. We are trying to make it work better and the financial consideration is part of it.
Are you happy with the Super One news bulletins? Don't you think they are too politically charged and biased?
Some tell us they are too partisan, others say they are too soft, that they don't attack enough. For me, the news is fair. They do not create stories that don't exist. One has to see the reality we are living where the anti-Labour message is strong from all directions. The balance weighs heavily against us. Obviously our communications have to give our point of view.
But the MLP knows it cannot win an election only with MLP voters.
That is true. You cannot preach to the converted but the news and current affairs programmes are valuable tools to convey our message.
What is the party's stand on the EU Constitution? Has it been discussed internally?
A decision will be taken soon. The target date is the end of June. It is not as big a political issue as EU membership was. It will have political ramifications and there will be different views. It is hard to tell what the decision will be. We will have three reports, one on legal aspects, another about political aspects and a kind of comparative study. We shall be working on that issue after the local council elections.
What are the party's relations with Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici? He is consistently opposing the EU Constitution and often has a different agenda from that of the party.
What I said about Mr Mintoff stands for Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici. One has to recognise his role. He was a former party leader after all. His position is more entrenched. The party realises there are new realities. The people decided and we respected that decision. The MLP does not have an official position on the EU Constitution, yet. Dr Mifsud Bonnici and the CNI seem set against it. But what everyone has to bear in mind is that the party is bigger than us all. It was there before us and will be there after we are all gone.
The MLP has a draft document in which it is proposing cuts in bonuses, stipends, taxes and other measures. Do you believe that these measures are necessary and will they work?
The drafting of that document was not in my remit and I had nothing to do with its drafting; though, on the other hand, I have my opinions about it. But the document is still a draft document aimed at discussion. The opposition is making it sound as if it's a final document, our policies. It will have to be approved by the general conference and I am sure that some things will be approved and others will not. Some other things will change. But even so, it will not bind us to make it part of our electoral manifesto.
Do you believe the Nationalist Party is making a fuss about the measures but will end up implementing some of them?
The PN's job is to oppose us, to scrutinise what we say and do. The PN can create as many issues as they like but, in the end, they know the country needs to be led in a different and far better way. There are some things that have to be changed but we should never forget the basic principle that those who are most in need should have the lightest burden to carry. At the same time, we have to create opportunities for those in a strong position to create more wealth. We want to work closely with all those who are the agents of today's economy.
In local election campaigns, the MLP often mentions the percentage success rate of Labour-dominated councils. How do you calculate that the MLP gets 93 per cent and the PN much less?
The calculations are not frivolous. Apart from the figures, in reality, MLP councillors deliver.
With the first congress for councillors, we conducted a survey and the absolute majority said they believed MLP councillors and councils deliver. We started with an experiment in which we promised to do two things from the electoral manifestos in the first 100 days in those localities where Labour had a majority and it worked. It will work again.
If the MLP feels its candidates are doing so well, why is it saying it will withdraw from such elections if PN does so?
Some councils are elected with about 400 votes. On a micro level why should parties have such an omni-present role? In a scenario without political parties, we preferred not to be there. We do not have the experience of councils without political parties. For all we know, they could have worked differently.
The MLP is being criticised for proposing there should be three, or perhaps four, waste recycling plants. Don't you think this issue is a very delicate and technical one to be treated in such a manner?
Waste is a big problem. As a country, we never did anything serious about it and now we have a big problem and we are paying for those mistakes. We do not agree with the government for it has adopted a management-by-crisis approach, which often turns out to be the wrong one. Whatever one does, there are going to be impacts on others. But some things have to be done in everyone's interests.
What is the party's relationship with the General Workers' Union?
The relations between the GWU and ourselves are very good. It is the biggest union and we are a labour party, a workers' party. Our relations with other unions are good, too.
When you and Charles Mangion became deputy leaders, people thought there would be a lot of changes. But this does not appear to have happened. Why?
Everyone has one's own expectations. There were several changes. The party's attitude to the media has changed. We have a pairing agreement in Parliament. We changed our position on EU membership. There have been many positive aspects. If you ask me if there's more to be done, I would say of course there is. We are living in an age where you either change or lag behind. You need to be forward looking. You need to have vision and offer vision.
Why did the MLP not ask George Abela to contest the elections for the European Parliament when it was known he wanted to contest on the MLP ticket?
I have not met George Abela for quite some time. I have a lot of respect for him. I worked closely with him in the past and had an excellent relationship. His humane side is simply stunning.
Would it be better if he comes back?
It is the party as a whole that has to reply to that question not myself. I am not the party. I believe that all those who believe in the Labour Party's values and whose aim is to serve the party and the country should have a place in the MLP.
Dr Abela's name was, one way or another, mentioned in discussions about who should become President...
All I can say is that I was not aware that Dr Abela's name had been mentioned. I am sure he would have lived up to the post.