Giving Salvu Mallia his own show on Net TV might not be a bad idea, according to Beppe Fenech Adami. But the PN Deputy Leader in charge of party affairs also warned that all candidates have to operate within an established set of parameters and said the outspoken former TVM presenter was still growing in his experience as a party candidate.
Dr Fenech Adami was replying to questions by The Malta Independent after it was revealed that a PN policy to bar all candidates from the air, so as to give an equal chance to the entire team, has been reviewed. This has opened the door for David Thake to return to Radio 101, after the unpopular policy had forced him to launch his own radio station, but could also see Salvu Mallia return to television. This time round, however, he would probably not be presenting cultural programmes.
Dr Fenech Adami said yesterday that the PN had done well to realise that forcing candidates off the air might have been premature. “The reality is that the PN can only make use of its own media outlets to get its message across. We are not like the government, which makes use of the national broadcaster and a union (GWU) newspaper. We felt that we should put the talents and abilities of our candidates to good use in all the different spheres, including the media. We do not want to put a straightjacket on a full year before the election.”
Pressed by this newspaper, Dr Fenech Adami said he could not say whether Mallia will host his own show on Net TV but said “it might not be a bad idea.”
Salvu Mallia’s candidature has raised many eyebrows as of late, especially when he signaled his disagreement with the PN on subjects like euthanasia. The former presenter, who says he voted Labour in the 2013 election, has also raised a stink with certain comments he used to describe the Labour Party. He has famously compared PM Joseph Muscat to the plague, Hitler ad Stalin and the PL to cancer. Recently he has also used colourful language in a Facebook tit-for-tat with former PN MP Philip Mifsud.
Asked if he approved of Salvu Mallia’s style, Dr Fenech Adami said the outspoken PL critic had his own merits for being on the PN ticket. “Mr Mallia has his own style but he is operating within a political party, which has set parameters within which one can act. Mr Mallia today declared he will toe the party line. I believe it is important for a political party to have limits and parameters within which one can operate.”
Asked if Mallia’s latest declaration came after a reprimand from the party’s top brass, Dr Fenech Adami said: “There is a process where you first say you want to be a candidate, then you are nominated and then you actually become a candidate. I think Salvu Mallia is still growing in this experience.” He added that diverging views were essential within the party. “There will be times when we disagree. It is actually good that we do not agree on everything all the time.”
You either like him or hate him – Mario de Marco
“Salvu Mallia is Salvu Mallia. You either love him or hate him,” PN Deputy Leader for Party Affairs Mario de Marco said yesterday, when contacted.
“He is an unconventional candidate and can be a controversial character. This is why we have seen these contrasting reactions to things he said and did. He is not your average candidate, unique in his own way. You may or may not like him, like many other people coming from the arts.”
Asked if he believed, like Dr Fenech Adami suggested, that Mallia should be made to abide by the party rules, Dr de Marco said “the moment he starts limiting himself he will no longer be Salvu Mallia. My appeal is for Salvu Mallia to stay true to himself.”
He added that the PN had accepted Mallia for who he is. “The moment we start trying to change we will have defeated the purpose. One can disagree with some of the comments he made and the way in which he expresses himself – but that is Salvu Mallia. One might not agree with how I express myself. Everyone has different tastes.”
Mallia is making politics interesting – Simon Busuttil
Yesterday, Opposition Leader Simon Busuttil said he did not regret approving Salvu Mallia as a candidate. He was also asked, by the Malta Independent whether condoned Mr Mallia's comparisons of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat to Stalin and Hitler. "I think Salvu is doing a good job, especially since he is again making politics interesting for the people. I think one of the problems with politics is that it seems people were bored with politicians, with politics, but Salvu has the capacity to bring out a message clearly. His message is the same as mine, that we have a big challenge before us - to see how we can remove the most corrupt government in Maltese history," Dr Busuttil said.