SCHEMBRI SAYS SHE WOULD HAVE OPTED FOR LABOUR EVEN IF PN HAD INVITED HER
Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando said today that he was not surprised that Deborah Schembri had opted to enter the political fray, but he regretted that she had not felt comfortable joining the Nationalist Party.
Reacting to yesterday's announcement by the Divorce Movement head that she will be a Labour candidate in the next general election, Dr Pullicino Orlando told timesofmalta.com that Dr Schembri informed him of her decision a short time before announcing it on Xarabank.
"I am glad she will be participating in politics and giving her contribution, and I regret that she did not feel comfortable doing so within the Nationalist Party, especially as she comes from a staunchly Nationalist family," Dr Pullicino Orlando said.
"She is a fantastic person, positive, energetic and kind hearted," the Nationalist MP added.
Dr Schembri told Xarabank yesterday that she had never previously considered becoming a politician. She only joined the Divorce Movement, while it was being formed, after an invitation from Dr Pullicino Orlando. They met for the first time at another edition of Xarabank two months ago.
SCHEMBRI TO CONTEST 12th DISTRICT
Deborah Schembri in radio comments this morning, said that she was never invited to join the PN in the wake of the referendum.
Replying to question on PBS this morning, she said, she had not expected either party to invite her to become a candidate. Had both parties done so, she still felt she would have opted for Labour at this point.
Dr Schembri said that she would be a candidate on the 12th district, which includes her hometome St Paul’s Bay, but she had not yet decided which other district she would contest.
Dr Schembri denied that her decision was a hurried one. She always took decisions quickly, though after reflection, she said. For example, she quickly decided to join the Divorce Movement.
She said she felt she had something to offer society, even nationally, but now it was up to the people to decide whether she should.