Edward Scicluna launches campaign

Edward Scicluna this evening launched his campaign for the June 6 European Elections, saying his work as a Socialist MEP would focus on the regulators' role of protecting consumers, safeguarding Maltese citizens' civil rights and making the islands, especially Gozo, attractive to foreign investors.

During a public event held at Caraffa stores at Vittioriosa waterfront, Prof. Scicluna, 62, a seasoned economist and well-known public figure, said he had decide to stand for the upcoming MEP elections as he feels that at this point in time Malta needs a strong Opposition without which the principles of accountability and transparency are thrown out of the window.

"I decided to run for MEP with the Labour Party now because I saw a lot of potential with the election of Joseph Muscat as leader. He has instilled new hope after three consecutive defeats at the polls. The Party needs a lot of tangible support at this crucial period," Prof. Scicluna said.

Prof. Scicluna’s slogan is Expertise, Experience, Credibility - reflecting a personal track record which he considered would make him a most suitable person to serve Malta and the Labour Party as an MEP.

A university lecturer and an outspoken economist, Prof. Scicluna has been a consultant for unions, employers' associations and private companies. He has headed the Malta Council of Economic and Social Development, the Malta Financial Services Authority and the Electoral Commission. His public persona came to be associated with the spot-on projections of how votes would sway during vote counting in general elections.

Explaining the first priority of his campaign - the regulators' role in protecting the consumer - Prof. Scicluna said the people needed protection from the arrogance of the government, expressed in various policy decisions which included the recent water and electricity bills saga.

Regulators, he said not only have been absent when it came to shielding consumers. They had a track record of unashamedly taken clear stands against the people.

His second priority in Europe would be safeguarding Maltese citizens' civil rights and helping them become well-informed of their rights as EU citizens.

On Gozo, his other main priority, Prof. Scicluna said the sister island was facing serious issues of competitiveness and a lack of jobs because of the sluggish transport and communication between the Maltese islands.

Asked why he had decided to join Labour, Prof. Scicluna said since his study days in Oxford he has always found himself comfortable with leftist groups which put more weight on social justice - one of the main values underpinning socialist ideology, adding that soon after his studies he was a founding member of a Centre for Workers' Education set up in Malta at the time.