“In order for government to drastically change the face of Malta, Malta’s character, one needs an electoral mandate,” Marlene Farrugia, temporary leader of the Partit Demokratiku said, making it clear that the government does not have it.
Dr Farrugia, who resigned from the Labour Party last November and went on to set up a new political party which is still to approve its statute, states that there is no mention of changing the face of Malta in the PL’s electoral manifesto. “Malta is not Singapore or Dubai, where we can sustain that kind of high-rise concentration without meticulous studies guaranteeing there would not be a negative and irreversible impact. If we want more people to come to Malta, for the country to compete in the tourism sector, we must take care of what we have”.
“The PL promised that we will take care of the environment. Through such high-rises, one would not only take land, but airspace which is public domain”. She explained that if one builds up high enough, people far away have no choice but to see that building, even if they don’t want to look at it.
“At the very least people must give the government a mandate to do so. If you explained to the people that they would benefit from XYZ but they would lose out on ABC, and the people decide in favour of this, then there is nothing more to say”.
She said that such constructions will not only affect current generations, but future generations as well, while stressing the need to take the issue with the utmost seriousness.
”If one goes to Paris, or Valencia, they are both historic cities that also include areas designated for high rises and modern architecture. They developed areas where these construction of such buildings does not reduce the value of their historic monuments and architecture, and that is what we need to do”.
“This is why I put forward a motion for the creation of a national masterplan, not just a plan for St George’s Bay”. Such a plan, she said, would help those in charge decide what is best for Malta not just in the short term.
She stressed that such developments should only be allowed after studies indicate what Malta can sustain both in the immediate and long-term. “One would need to see, through the masterplan, what impact they would have on the peoples’ lives, on the environment, the infrastructure etc. We should not build and then see the impact afterwards”.
“Since a compromise can be found, and we have the ability to develop in a wise manner, why don’t we do that?”
As for the construction sector, she said there is definitely a future in that industry with the infrastructure projects and restoration projects.
Simon Busuttil gets seven out of ten rating
Asked to rate Dr Simon Busuttil on his leadership of the Opposition using a scale of one to ten, she said “seven”.
“I would have removed everyone who was associated with the problems in the past. The people need a totally renewed PN. People also do not know who and what the PN stands for. The PN’s worth needs to be made clear. Has it become a party of polls, like Joseph Muscat’s party is, basing policies on polls? A political party should not do that”.
The PN must show the people what its principles are.
She spoke of the people who switched from one political side to another to give Labour a resounding victory in 2013, and said the people who caused this shift are still in the PN. ”Remove and rebuild. If you don’t, the country will lose out because there will not be an Opposition that can control the damage to democracy and to the country. The PN is obliged to fix whatever it has to fix, and it’s already late. Dr Busuttil can turn the PN into an alternative government, however he has not yet taken the necessary steps to show the people that the PN has changed”.
Joseph Muscat does not get rated
Asked what she would rate Dr Muscat as Prime Minister on a scale of one to ten, she opted not to answer directly, saying she believes in good governance. “Keeping to the rule of law is essential. We (the PL) were elected on good governance, the environment, transparency and meritocracy. Back in 2006, the PN introduced the rationalisation process and the PL when in opposition deplored this, yet today, everyone knows what is happening to the environment. Dr Muscat failed on the most basic important issues.
“Joseph Muscat has a group of people who control his choices. It was a historic electoral victory and he could have stopped them and stuck to the manifesto. The fact that he introduced the sale of citizenship, and sold so many of Malta’s assets, either went against the manifesto or they were not mentioned in it. If you are selling Air Malta when you gave the impression you weren’t, then you went against the manifesto.
“Joseph Muscat is giving in to third party pressures and going beyond the electoral manifesto. A serious Prime Minister should follow the manifesto if they truly respect the people. You want to introduce abortive-agent medication? Then include it in the electoral manifesto. You want to turn Malta into Hong Kong? Then include it in the manifesto. I’d prefer not to rate Joseph Muscat, in fact it’s better if I don’t. I will say, however, that I regret the amount I contributed, and I believed we could have had a clean government. Dr Muscat could have been a leader to bring about the change so many believed in”.
Formation of the Partit Demokratiku
Turning to the formation of Partit Demokratiku, Dr Farrugia said that it was formed by the people. She explained that many people feel that Malta should not just have two major parties.
Many people approached her to help form this new political movement after she mentioned the idea on Facebook posts. “Together with those interested, we began holding informal meetings, getting to know one another”.
Dr Farrugia explained that the party is not ready to be ‘pigeonholed’ and be called conservative, or liberal. “At the centre of our policies is the right for people’s dignity to be respected, and it will help us further develop our policies and can lead to the good governance which Malta has been promised for so long, yet is still lacking”.
Ready to lead the party, if that is what the members want
She said that a temporary group is currently leading the party, and that Marco Cremona, the temporary Secretary General, recently registered the party with the Electoral Commission.
“We plan for the first annual general meeting to take place in October, where our members can decide the party leaders themselves. Our members have been given a copy of the statute, so that they can review it and if needed, could be amended during the AGM”.
She said that discussions are being held with experts in different fields to help them form their policies in different areas.
Asked if she will consider running for an official post, she explained that her intention was to leave politics when her term is up. “If there is someone who wants to contest and contribute for the betterment to the country by contesting the leadership, I will not contest against them. I will help them in every way and I will represent them in Parliament if needed. I am ready, as long as it is someone serious and with integrity, to back him or her for the leadership. The sentiment of those attending meetings however, is that I should lead this new political force, and if that is what they want, I am ready to lead the party”.
As for whether the party will just contest the general elections, or the local council and European parliament elections, she said that the political reality in the country is changing quickly, and it could result in there being an election prior to when one expects. “But those decisions, regarding what elections we will contest, how and when, would be taken once the party is formalised”.
This newsroom asked Dr Farrugia for her personal opinion on a number of issues, which perhaps the majority of people are not familiar as to where she stands.
Traffic issues need to be tackled
Dr Farrugia was asked about traffic and how she believes the problem should be dealt with.
“The traffic situation needs urgent treatment on different levels. Firstly, we should work on preventative measures. How are we going to convince people to use their private vehicles less? When people have a public transport system that they can rely on, then people would be able to use it and not spend as much on fuel and car maintenance. Thus one must incentivise people to use public transport”.
She mentioned that initiatives for the use of electric vehicles should continue to be pushed. Turning to cycle lanes, she said that a number of new roads have been created without them. Dr Farrugia also spoke about organised transport for government departments. If provided, this will reduce congestion and pollution”.
Turning to dealing with the increased traffic that will be caused by Malta’s economic growth, She said there are a number of options to explore.” So far, either an underground or suspended connections have been mentioned”, she said, however stressed that these must be discussed and analysed thoroughly by experts in these fields. “After the public decides whether such a plan would be the way forward, then we should implement it”. As for the immediate solutions to help reduce congestion, she spoke of need to encourage car-pooling and free transport for all schools.
Dr Farrugia was questioned regarding her opinion on sectors in Malta which could be bolstered in order to improve economic growth. She spoke about the tourism sector. “Malta has a unique tourism product. While the growth of this industry has increased, we must keep in mind the situation in Greece, Turkey, Egypt etc”.
Dr Farrugia also spoke of the services industry. “I have nothing against Malta’s economy being based on services. Government is working on medical services, where patients would come to Malta to recuperate. I’m in favour of this, but I am not in favour of how this is happening. One cannot launch such services, using public assets, without being clearand transparent as to how this will affect the people, what the people are giving up for these services and what return it would bring. When one creates a business plan, one always shows what one will give and receive in order to see if it is feasible. So far, no such economic project like this announced has seen such a feasibility published”.
Turning to the financial services sector, she said that is should be continued to be bolstered and helped, but stressed the issue of transparency by having a clean system where those who invest in Malta will have peace of mind that the rule of law is the rule, and not the exception.
Dr Farrugia said that many foreigners are choosing Malta as a country where they choose to retire. She explained that this is a sector which Malta could continue to grow. “When it comes to the elderly, a number of projects have already occurred, but there is more we can do by creating, for example, services where companies would send workers to help elderly retirees in their own homes”.
Problems in the education system
Dr Farrugia identified a problem in Malta’s education system. While children are learning individual subjects, they are not truly learning about dealing with other people, ethics, how to treat the country and the world around them.
“This is not the teachers’ fault. They have their own classroom difficulties due to individual students’ needs, a heavy syllabus, and so it is different from when I was at school. Today the pressure is more focussed on right than responsibility. Back then, the focus was on driving in a civic sense, on our formation as human beings, on having a sense of identity. I feel that students graduating from schools and university are lacking in this regard”. She also stressed that education must work hand in hand with employers.
Turning to healthcare, she questioned whether those who purchased certain hospitals in Malta have assured that those graduating in medicine would have jobs available for them.
She was also asked about the state of the police force. “Every police officer wants to be in a force where he or she could serve the country in the most appropriate way. The police want the necessary training, the necessary back-up, and to work in an environment where they know that if they are capable, they would advance. They want politics to remain out of the force, to be at ease and know that the force is autonomous from government. The fact that so many Commissioners have resigned over the past three years definitely demoralises officers. They know, even if nobody told them, the reasons why the Commissioners had to leave”.
She supports the idea of police commissioners being appointed through a two-thirds majority in Parliament.
“Respect for the police force has deteriorated, and the only way for them to regain respect, is for them to be left alone and act according to what they believe to be responsibly and for the good of the country, while training new recruits to be an example for others”.
Joseph Muscat must not win next election