To mark the 50th day of the Labour Party in government, Nationalist leadership contender Mario de Marco yesterday listed 50 “eyebrow-raising decisions” it had taken.
We need to see less stage-managed events
“The points highlight the fact that one decision for every day raises doubts and questions about the new government,” Dr de Marco said.
This included the appointment of the former Labour Party CEO as head of Transport Malta; the lack of transparency in issuing the expression of interest for the new power station; and the fact that despite the Government’s declaration of zero tolerance, frequent hunting illegalities were reported.
“I will not go into each and one of them – but clearly 50 days of Labour have shown there are 50 shades of Labour,” he said.
Dr de Marco was addressing a press conference to launch his political document, a booklet which gives an update of the policies he would introduce if he is elected PN leader next weekend.
The document, he said, was based on the hundreds of e-mails and Facebook messages he received since he announced his candidature.
“The most important is the need to go back to basics,” he said, adding that people wanted to see less partisan events.
“This is the party that invented political dialogue – we need to see less stage-managed events,” he said referring to Taħt it-Tinda events, where questions to politicians were pre-prepared.
“That is not real dialogue. They’re good to boost the morale of the supporters,” he said.
Dr de Marco stressed the importance of having people within the PN to sit around a table with people who have different ideas. He said the role of the deputy leader also had to be strengthened. “It is not defined at all,” he said, adding it had to be taken in the context of strengthening the party structures.
His suggestions include: focusing on youth workers who are not students; making the party media less partisan and setting up issue groups that are open to the public. There was also the need for a more organised party presence in Gozo.
“Politics for Gozo have to start there, no one understands Gozo more than the Gozitans,” he said.
Helping him in his campaign was an “excellent” and “fresh” team. He singled out entrepreneur and his once brother-in-law Joe Caruana Curran, as the man leading his campaign.