The Nationalist Party needs to open up to migrants who have settled in Malta, according to Mosta mayor Shirley Farrugia, who was born in Malta to Indian parents.

I am Maltese but, obviously, there is a lot of Indian in me and the way I think about life

“We cannot be viewed as a conservative party anymore but a party that has identified society, how it has changed, where it’s going and how people who are different from the typical Maltese want to be represented.

“That would make the ideal party that we are striving so hard to rebuild,” Dr Farrugia told the Times of Malta.

The 49-year-old was elected to the local council in 2007 and became mayor in 2012.

She contested the general election on a Nationalist ticket in 2008 and again this year, both times ending a runner-up in the by-election.

Dr Farrugia was born to Tikamdas and Radhika Bharwani, who moved from Bombay in the 1950s and set up a retail business on the island. Her late father was the president of the Indian community in Malta.

A doctor by profession and a mother of two children aged 16 and 22, Dr Farrugia is the first Mosta female mayor of immigrant parents.

Brought up in Floriana, she is one of seven siblings, six of whom were born here.

She recalls how the Indian community helped each other out, focusing on bettering themselves by studying and working hard. “That is all we were asked to do, and we got there.”

Now she tries to maintain a balance between her job, council work and her family.

Admitting being a female mayor is challenging, Dr Farrugia says women could bring different perspectives to the table.

Although in general elections women are still not trusted enough, in local politics women seem to have been accepted in the top posts, she adds.

Most of a mayor’s contacts are with people in fields that are not traditionally linked with female roles, like construction and road infrastructure. But once you take on the role of mayor, you move away from the gender issue and do the job to the best of your capacity, she says.

Through it all, she believes the “Indian in her” helped her strive harder.

“My late father was a man who would tell us: don’t just do your work, do more and do something for the community,” she says, visibly emotional.

“He’d tell me: you have your own job but are you employing people? In India, there aren’t any social services, so a person who has his own business is expected to employ people and contribute to the community: you give to others from your wealth.

“I am Maltese but, obviously, there is a lot of Indian in me and the way I think about life.

“Our values of work and duty stemmed from the fact that we were immigrants: there’s nothing to depend on, we don’t have any inheritance, there are no grandparents to go to and you just have to work yourself.”

Asked whether current local politics addressed immigrants, Dr Farrugia’s answer was a straight no.

“I am part of the Nationalist Party and I feel there’s a lot more that the party can do to address people who want to feel part of the Maltese community.

If people don’t feel part of the country they’re living in, they will always be on the edge of contributing to that society

“We have a lot of English nationals who don’t vote in the general election... who still feel as though they are outsiders,” she says. This is leading to a loss of resources.

“If these people don’t feel part of the country they’re living in, they will always be on the edge of contributing to that society,” she explains, adding that the party should be opening up more.

“These people contribute to the economy – some have restaurants or hotels, others invest in the financial sector – but they feel like outsiders. And I think that’s unfortunate. You contribute more if you’re happy to form part of this community.”

But how does a party acknowledge migrants?

“First of all the party has to come across as being inclusive.

“If we’re going to exclude communities because they don’t follow our Catholic principles when we are a multi-national country, you’re seen as being non-inclusive,” she says.

“Then you have to be a party that acknowledges there are people living different lifestyles.

“If I’m gay, I want my parliamentary representative to acknowledge the fact that the gay issue is an issue.

“The representative has to acknowledge that the gay community has a lot to give to the country and there are issues particular to the gay community that need to be brought forward and need to be discussed at national level.

“If immigrants find there is a representative in that party who can take their issues to Parliament and fight for their concerns, then that group of people will feel part of your party.”

Dr Farrugia says there are whole groups of people who are being excluded because the party is viewed as very con-servative. When people do not find parliamentarians representing them, they might look for a party where they feel at home, which is what has happened.

Dr Farrugia notes that the PN could have broken barriers with the migrant community through her own image.

“I am married with two children but my face shows that I am not the typical Nationalist candidate and, unfortunately, it was not utilised to address those communities that at the very end we tried to address but, unfortunately, we didn’t manage to.

“I am Maltese, I was born here, but the fact that you can understand different cultures is an asset that you bring with you to politics.”