PN to use Facebook in its drive ‘to listen’
Malta ‘has found a balance’
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday tasked Justice Minister Chris Said with managing a number of Facebook pages as part of another Nationalist Party initiative, this time entitled “myvoice.pn”.
Dr Gonzi also threw his weight behind Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici (who is facing an Opposition censure motion in Parliament), saying he was a man of integrity, seriousness, values and service. “That’s why we have full faith in you,” he said.
Winding up this weekend’s PN general council meeting, Dr Gonzi said the new website www.mychoice.pn was a resounding success and the PN was still struggling to reply to everyone who responded.
However, he urged more people to make use it, rather than relying on Sunday meetings or radio programmes to contact the party.
One of the ideas emerging from this initiative was to launch a similar one on Facebook, which is why Dr Said, who is also Minister for Dialogue, would be tasked with managing the Facebook conversation.
“This is your direct line. Use it. Through this tool you can speak to me and ministers directly and it’s important for you to do so, not just to tell us what you need but even to give us suggestions, ideas and criticism.”
He said the PN could win the next election but to do so it had to listen to people and esteem them. This included being honest with those people who expected things that were not their right.
Dr Gonzi thanked MEP Simon Busuttil, his special delegate, for helping to bring him closer to the people.
All of the PN’s decisions in the past were based on confidence in the Maltese people, he told the council.
While the PN consistently and naturally fell on the right side of history, Labour did the opposite, because they did not have the same faith in people.
“PN was always on the good side and Labour was always on the bad side,” he said.
“When we were faced with every important, historic decision, we naturally chose the right side, but Labour naturally chose the wrong one, whether it was independence, EU membership, liberalisation or rights.”
Dr Gonzi said there was a time – such as when tear gas was being used to quell Independence Day celebrations – where the people had almost given up. But the PN’s forefathers kept fighting in the belief that righteousness would always prevail, as it had done.
“We are not embarrassed of our past,” he said, “but the others do not even want us talk about their past because they say we are scaring people... with the truth.”
As he recounted events from the 1980s, he said: “I am not talking about history. I am referring to people who still sit in the benches opposite me in Parliament.”
The PN had always worked for the individual but was now doing so more than ever before.
Dr Gonzi said the PN had gained a good rhythm in the past few months to bring politics to the level of the people and better understand their needs, but much more work had to be done to win the next election.
He said the most important sectors were job creation, education and health, in which Malta was registering huge successes compared to other EU countries. Malta was able to find a balance between fiscal consolidation and economic growth.
“In these four years not only did we create 20,000 jobs but we had 20,000 students graduate,” he said, adding that he wished he could hug each and every one of them.
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Pippo De Marco
May 28th 2012, 19:57
Looks like MyChoicePN is set to take the place of GonziPN as the Nationalist's Campaign Slogan for the next election. - It seems that someone in the party has finally realised that rather than being a vote winner, the name Gonzi is a electoral liability.
Rather than dropping the Gonzi name, PN should have had the sense to drop Gonzi as leader in order to have a slim chance of being re-elected. But stubborn Captain Gonzi never listens to the people ( he needs Simon Busitil to do that for him ) and he is absolutely determined too take the ship down with him.
Sadly, the only other ship afloat is the not-so-good ship Muscat.
Mayday, Mayday, Nation all at sea. - Save our souls.
Joe Grech
May 28th 2012, 17:38
This Prime Minister will do literally ANYTHING for yet another inefficient, corrupt stint in power! He used taxpayer money to shut up grumbling exMinisters and Backbenchers, something he should never have done. It's really sad how power corrupts!
Ms.D. Galea
May 28th 2012, 14:38
What can YET ANOTHER facebook page do, that cannot be done via EXISTING comments boards , facebook pages and blogs?
Lena Hahn
May 28th 2012, 12:59
“PN was always on the good side and Labour was always on the bad side,” he said.
- Read that again Nation and see if your brain tells you there *must* be something wrong with that.
Alexander Farrugia
May 28th 2012, 12:55
I don't even agree with this "listening to the people" propaganda. You either have a good strategy for the country or you don't. If your strategy is good enough, and you portray it well enough, and is good for the whole country, then you will get the votes. The Nationalist party should know this very well by now. Listening to the people is all well and good, but it should not make the party change its electoral programme if it is to be credible in the next election.
Of course, the same thing is to be said for the Labour party if it is going to do the same thing.
George Busuttil
May 28th 2012, 12:08
Will Minister Said, and whoever will help him, will be doing this after office hours and using private facilites or will government facilities and government workers, including the minister, will be doing this while being paid by the taxpayer?
George Azzopardi
May 28th 2012, 12:03
wow how creative .. and so innovative too ...
Ramon Casha
May 28th 2012, 11:49
The government did not listen in the case of the roofless theatre. It is not listening in the decriminalisation of cannabis use. Why should we believe this is anything other than an electoral gimmick to pretend to be listening, only to be ignored once the election is over?
Joseph M. Grech.
May 28th 2012, 11:32
Comments here on TOM do not show the pulse of the nation but they shout loudly when the nail is hit right on the head of truth - and MLP/PL always shy away from the truth of the recent past.
Malta compared to the way labour were forced to leave it in 1987 is beyond comparison. Even the way of thinking, liberty of expression in writing and all the rest of the media is incomparable.
Young people are spoilt with various choices and not various Korpi under military discipline.
Roads, hospitals and schools and the whole infrastructure including an airport terminal which is not a third world one like we had. The list is endless so now PL reverts to character assassination as usual when the election looms up. Obviously, nothing better to offer us.
Still the same people same still the same attitude, what do you expect.
Victor Vella
May 28th 2012, 11:20
Go to elections not on the facebook.
Kenneth Galea
May 28th 2012, 11:08
You don't need facebook, twitter and the lot to listen. Just read all the comments about this illegal immigration mess on the times because you sit idle and watch the world go by. The public is alarmed, out of control illegal immigration instills fear and insecurity. We are not interested in your morals and you posing infront of the cameras Carm. Take the bull by the horns now like the Italians did to stop this huge invasion which seems to be sponsored by the EU and the UNHCR. However Italy took another route and as a result there are no immigrants arriving in Lampedusa. Ghandek wicc tidher Carm quddiem il-poplu, missek tisthi. You will not smile anymore from Wednesday when Parliament declares a motion of no confidence in you.
R. Theuma
May 28th 2012, 11:03
Gimmicks ghandna kieku kemm trid ...
Mr R.E. Saliba
May 28th 2012, 09:59
Whatever.
Sorry guys but if you simply read the comments here on TimesOfMalta.com, you'd have a much better idea of the nation's pulse.
TOM is bigger and better and, dare I say it, far more balanced in portraying what Joe citizen thinks, wants and needs.
Giov DeMartino
May 28th 2012, 11:53
Li kien ghall-professuri tad-demokrazija anqas l-istamperija ma ghadha hemm ahseb u ara l-internet.
Please choose the reason of your report below: