Saturday, 31st October 2009 - 11:47CET
Nobody should take Alternattiva for granted - AD chairman
Video: Paul Spiteri Lucas
Michael Briguglio is the new leader of Alternattiva Demokratika.
He was elected leader this morning during the Green Party’s annual general meeting.
He was uncontested and the vote for his leadership was unanimous.
In a short address following his election, Mr Briguglio said that AD’s vision was ecological and social. It should be a positive party which looked ahead while being critical of the dark realities facing the country.
Since AD did not depend on the finances of people who remained unknown it had no fear of stepping on someone’s toes, he pointed out.
Mr Briguglio said the party was based on four sacred principles, namely social and ecological justice, civil rights, and a healthy economy.
These principles should be put in the context of an EU country and of a responsible and democratic society.
Democracy, he said, was not just a vote every five years but everyday decisions in which the people should participate.
Such decisions started from the Malta Environment and Planning Authority and the Malta Council for Economic and Social Development and went on to the family and the workplace.
Mr Briguglio said responsibility was fundamental to Green politics and sustainability was responsibility towards future generations.
Maltese politics, he said, lacked ideology and AD attempted to fill this void. Its ideas should be implemented through realistic strategies.
AD should not expect to be something it was not, it was not going to be the government in the near future but it had its strengths and a good number of people supporting it. These could determine a general election result and the party should make the most of this strength.
AD, he said, should have more horizontal structures so that all those who wanted to work within the party would find their place.
This was essential for the party’s roots to grow.
Mr Briguglio, a sociologist who lectures at the University of Malta, is AD's fourth leader since the party's inception 20 years ago and the first not to be a founding member.
His predecessors, Wenzu Mintoff, Harry Vassallo and Arnold Cassola were among the Green Party's founding members in 1989.
The other members elected on AD's executive committee this morning are: deputy chairman Stephen Cachia, secretary general Ralph Cassar, deputy secretary general Henrik Piski, treasurer Simon Galea, international secretary Arnold Cassola and Yvonne Arqueros Ebejer, Carmel Cacopardo, Mario Mallia, David Pisani, Mark Scerri, Richard Schranz and Nighat Urpani.
RSS
Comments
There's a document on the internet dictating AD's policy on immigration for ages now. It was drafting during Harry Vassallo.
@James De Giorgio
I understand your viewpoint that AD should think about quitting. You know, following Malcolm Seychell, Josie Muscat (the first time) and Wayne Hewitt's steps.
Then again, AD are not quitters.
@Christian Sciberras
"But I would like to see the country managed by natural-born leaders, rather then lawyers, businessmen, sociologists,"
yes, the number of sociologists in parliament is alarming....
I must admit that I'm very disappointed at your latent attempts to beat AD's reputation. D. Mangion's words are very true indeed.
Yet...each time that AD was considered as dead and buried, each time it re-emerges to continue it's dream of a total reconsideration of the way of doing politics in Malta....and rest assured that AD will stay for a very long time.
As long as there is a dream to live for.....AD will continue to live.
AD will only stop existing if any smaller third party manages to do what AD has been trying to do in these past 20 years or so. THE REAL CHANGE in Maltese politics.
With Mike at the helm AD has made it's values a little clearer. That's the way I like it. No centre-right, or centre-left or centre-centre. No prostituting for votes...just values to live for.
I however am a bit disconcerted that for the MEP election voted for a fringe party gauging by the amount of votes AD garnered. I hope that AD start working with the people. The electorate has to find you in the villages and towns on Sundays, not only doing fund-raising parties by invite.
Then again, I don't know him.
But I would like to see the country managed by natural-born leaders, rather then lawyers, businessmen, sociologists, and any others with a profession of bending people to their needs.
Bear my words, a time will come when "bringing X into power wasn't such a good idea", the same as happened with PN and MLP.
Lastly, what is the point of this article? Unless The Times is taking up sides into politics, I don't see anything enlightening in this article as compared to what other politicians have been promising for ages.
Regards,
Christian Sciberras.
Good luck Michael, hopefully others will decide to follow their true beliefs rather than act in a popular populist manner!
@sander depasquale.. so you are one of those content with this 2 party dictatorship? oh well it is no use arguing with you if so.
Perhaps these people are not wise at all at the end of the day and they do not deserve our vote in any case.
Dr Briguglio do not worry if candidates of your party are not elected YOUR SIMPLE EXISTENCE ALREADY MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
I wish you the best of luck.
What Rightwingers do we have around? The PL,PN, AD are all leftwing socialist/communist.
If only we had a Rightwing, that can stop immigration,to give us some law and order in this country.
I can't stand certain comments sometimes!
I admit that I never met you, but I do consider AD to be a viable option (the only viable option mind you) on the ballot paper. So I do hope that AD will achieve as much success as it possibly can. As Dr. Cassola remarked, it will be difficult to turn people in favour AD, but with a strong youth section anything is possible.
@Joseph Stephen Galea
There are more issues than just divorce. Of course you have every right to have an opinion, but to define AD as "cut off from the people" for a divergence in opinion on one issue is somewhat juvenile.
@John Spiteri
Should an AN proponent really mock AD? Of course your 68 people who voted for you might differ, but then again who am I to steal candy from a child.
As I see it Michael may win the votes of disgruntled Nationalists who would never join Labour, and also Labourites who had been voting Nationailst and others who have abstained from voting during the last general election. He may also win the votes of floating voters especially those young in age.
Whilst I do understand that it is very difficult for Alternattiva to elect even one representative in Parlament since they may have not enough votes in one district to do so, if things continue as they are the number of NP and M/LP voters not voting for their Party may increase.
If despite all odds Alternattive do elect one member, I feel certain that Michael Brigulio will prefer to join the MLP in case of a coalation government, considering his left leaning background.
I am already seeing Joe Muscat calling on Michael to congratulate him, and use his charming smiles to lure the new Alternattiva Chairman more to the left.
Michael Seychell
Tal-Pieta
If the electorate, or at least part of it, was to understand that a shift from the bi-polar system present for the past decades would translate into a strengthened democratic political system with a stronger need for all stakeholders to be more transparent and accountable, and if the electorate was to act on this knowledge, only then true political change will be possible.
Congratulations to Michael Briguglio and good luck for his term(s) as Chair person of AD!
72 years of soviet history should have thought Chairman Mike, that communism and a healthy economy, to put it mildly, don't exactly go together.
neither did the family fare too well under the hands of those he so much admires. but perhaps Chairman Mike's understanding of the family is anything but traditional.
A great well done!
Agree 100%
Show your true colours AD please
IE are those that told your Mr Steve Cachia on TV, that you will be "relegated to the dustbin of Maltese political history".
Mr Briguglio is held in very high esteem by his political adversaries.
Mike ... Malta l-Ewwel u Qabel Kollox !
Good Foresight in this new Venture.
If so, I recall seeing him and his merry band at the time parading at university with their Che Guevara shirts and other communist paraphernalia ...not the right candidate for AD if you ask me !
AD has shown over the years that it is a serious organisation that is truely interested in our social and environmental problems without (unlike MLPN) having to limit what it does or say for fear of stamping on toes that give them funding.
Having a 3rd party in parliament / in government will control the party in power to the extent that you the citizien will have more power during the 5 year tenure than you ever had.
Helping AD is helping yourselves, your families, your children. Do not be scared to give AD a chance, if anything be scared to give the other parties a full 5 year (do what you want with us/Malta) mandate.
Your vote is the key to all this.
Regarding green issues, AD is the only Party to be trusted. The PLPN just offer a cosmetic greenwash while it's clear that AN never had it in their agenda
nawguralek hafna sahha f'din il-missjoni. zgur li bik fix-xena politika se jkun hemm lok ghal aktar hidma responsabbli. nies bhalek hemm bzonnhom!
Awguri u keep rockin!
is IE jumping on the green bandwagon like PN & PL?
LoL you have no idea what you are talking about!