Marlene Farrugia has dropped a not-so-subtle hint that she could form a new political party to contest the next election.
The former Labour MP, who now sits as an independent member in Parliament, penned a very telling opinion piece last Monday about “a political phoenix rising out of the ashes of the PN and the Labour Movement”.
But hers was not the only suggestion that the time was ripe for a new political force to take on the two mega parties.
Dr Farrugia’s contribution in The Malta Independent was mirrored on the same day by that of Michael Briguglio, who represents Alternattiva Demokratika on the Sliema council.
In his contribution to the Times of Malta, Dr Briguglio spoke of “something that needs to be born but the date is a mystery”.
The two personalities found common ground last year in the fight against construction in outside development zones that was spurned by the government’s decision to locate a private university at Żonqor Point in Marsascala.
The Żonqor cause had also prompted the creation of the non-partisan Front Ħarsien ODZ that roped in activists from civil society and the three main political parties. Dr Briguglio was one of the founders, while Dr Farrugia lent outside support to the cause through her parliamentary role.
When contacted, both acknowledged that informal talks were being held between various people to assess the public mood and whether there was appetite for a new political force.
The Panama scandal, involving Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi and the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, Keith Schembri, is the proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back. The affair has left many voters disillusioned, and this was made worse by the Prime Minister when he casually dismissed his closest allies’ actions.
Thousands attended Sunday’s protest against corruption organised by the Nationalist Party but, according to Dr Farrugia, thousands more have given up on voting in the next election. And it is these people, she feels, who must be given a political alternative. “I feel people should not be disenfranchised and those who are saying they will not vote have to be given a choice,” she says.
They feel let down by the government’s failure to fulfil its overarching pledge
She describes the reactions of people who voted for the Labour Party believing it would bring about change. “They feel let down by the government’s failure to fulfil its overarching pledge to deliver on good governance, while others feel dejected by the government’s poor track record on the environment.”
But what of the PN alternative?
Dr Farrugia joined the protest last Sunday and also participated in a protest walk against ODZ development organised by the PN at Żonqor last year when she was still a Labour MP.
But despite the apparently chummy behaviour with the Opposition, Dr Farrugia insists the PN still has more work to do to present itself as a true alternative.
“It is not enough to have a document on good governance and, as a start, the PN should be transparent about its own finances that ended up in the red with the consequence that workers were not paid their wages,” she says.
On the environment, the PN also lacks consistency, she says. “While the Opposition put its heart and soul in opposing the university at Żonqor, it has so far failed to pronounce itself against a race track that will gobble up thousands of square metres of ODZ land.”
It is this situation that has prompted Dr Farrugia to explore other avenues. She says there is nothing concrete at this stage. A political party has to form in the people’s heads first, she contends.
Her reading of the situation is similar to that of Dr Briguglio, who feels the time is appropriate for “something new”. However, the former AD chairman believes this may range from a political party to a broad civil society coalition campaigning on particular issues.
“I am an AD councillor in Sliema and I would like the Green voice to become bigger, but I am also a pragmatic activist and cannot exclude anything,” he says.
Dr Briguglio says he has spoken to Dr Farrugia and other civil society activists, including the AD leadership, about what he describes as society’s new yearning.
“There has never been a time as appropriate as this for something new, something bigger, but what it is I do not know,” he says.
Dr Briguglio argues the most important thing is asking the right questions to understand what the people’s priorities are. Not everyone has the same priority.
For some, he says, the priority is removing Labour from power, and yet for others the important thing is achieving good governance. Others believe the priority should be having a third party in Parliament.
“Like other activists, I am also exploring options,” he says, insisting that discussions were informal and did not necessarily mean that those who are talking will join anything that may be born.
Dr Briguglio draws parallels with the period leading up to the EU referendum, when people from across the political spectrum shifted allegiances as the debate intensified. He feels the level of “political excitement” at the time can be felt today.
Gauging excitement can be a subjective exercise but Front ODZ last year did manage to organise a very well-attended environment protest in Valletta. Whether this will be enough to give birth to a new political force still has to be seen, but it does look like the political system has been jolted.