As politicians smile and grind their way through the electoral campaign under the public glare, a number of volunteers work tirelessly behind the scenes out of a deep sense of loyalty to their chosen political banner. Kim Dalli sits down with some of the volunteers forming the backbone of the Nationalist and Labour parties.
Maria Seguna Attard, 24, from Żebbuġ
I started volunteering with the PN on January 8, working on surveys, gauging people’s opinions and listening to their complaints. I’m currently unemployed so I manage to fit in around seven hours a day.
The party is in my blood – my mother was always a staunch Nationalist. The PN is my life, it’s my second family.
Volunteering gives me great satisfaction. One of the plus sides is that I’m able to make contacts and I might perhaps be helped in finding a job, as I’m a wheelchair user. People here accept me as I am.
The whole experience gives me courage to keep fighting, despite my condition.
Barbara Buttigieg, 66, from Gżira
I’ve been doing voluntary work for a number of years now; I’ve worked for 12 years as a councillor, as well as helping out in a choir and in an elderly care home.
During the busy and intense period of the election campaign, I’m clocking in eight hours a day, phoning people and inputting data.
Why the PN? Well, it’s very satisfying for me to help the party that has helped me lead a comfortable life. I remember very clearly the 16 years we spent under a Labour government.
In my view, PN means care for the elderly; a category which will soon include me. The party also means securing the future of youths – they are tomorrow’s leaders.
I definitely encourage others to take up volunteering – the party is in need of volunteers at the moment. Many people seem to be discouraged by the fact that they might be labelled. That doesn’t bother me.
Anna Rossi, 58, from Sliema
I’ve been volunteering with the PN since the 1982 election. I also volunteer with various sailing clubs; in fact, I’m the president of the Malta Sailing Federation.
My current role involves flights and bringing people over from overseas to vote. During the previous election, I had brought over 1,300 Maltese from abroad.
I don’t stand to gain anything – I never asked for financial help, or for any position. I volunteer because I believe in the party. When we were under the Labour government, there were no private hospitals. You couldn’t buy a thing – you had to go abroad for the simple things we now take for granted.
In 1987, the political situation was a disaster. There were no childcare centres – what with raising three children, I never had the opportunity of getting a job.
Volunteering was a way of engaging my mind and doing different tasks other than changing nappies.
Mariella Schembri, 42, from Fgura
I’ve been volunteering with the PL for the last four years.
I assess applications for the party’s volunteering campaign, as well as placing the volunteers according to their preferences. I also follow up on customer care requests.
I don’t stand to gain anything in particular. I consider it a challenge. Just being part of this period is more than enough. You also get to know people from all walks of society.
I was always interested in politics and how a political party operates, especially when an election campaign approaches.
For me, the LP means the future, for the upcoming generations.
Nigel Vella, 23, from Ħamrun
I’ve been active since I was 15. I currently help out with the Communications Office.
I love the experience of volunteering. You befriend new people, people who are united under one cause, who share a vision.
The PL is my natural home. Joseph Muscat is young and can therefore get a better grip of today’s realities and the concerns of youth.
I truly believe in the movement created by Dr Muscat. It embraces people who are not traditionally of a leftist inclination but who are eager for change.
I definitely encourage others to take up volunteering, and young people to join the Labour Youth Forum. You get the opportunity to come into direct contact with people, to get in touch with what they feel. It helps build your character. It’s an experience of a lifetime.
Beppe Farrugia, 49, from Siġġiewi
I’ve been volunteering with the PL for 19 years. I come here every day after work. I act as a floor manager – I take care of logistics, I answer phone calls and I give lifts when needed. Volunteering with the party is a hobby for me. I love cracking jokes and helping create a pleasant working environment.
The party is my second family.
I’m doing all this to have a new government.
Perhaps (former Indian prime minister) Indira Gandhi said it best: “My grandfather once told me that there were two kinds of people: those who do the work and those who take the credit. He told me to try to be in the first group; there was much less competition.”