Dr Justyne Caruana is a new face in parliament, a very pretty one at that, but certainly not a new face in politics. “When the Malta Labour Party started in Gozo, my grandfather now 84 years old was one of the very first militants so I have been brought up surrounded by politics. I took the plunge myself early on in life, too, by taking an active part in the political life of Gozo,” she says

She was elected to parliament the first time round, beating male candidates. In fact two out of the five Gozo MPs are now women, this perhaps being an indication of the strong matriarchal element in Gozitan culture. I ask her about her feelings before the election and she tells me that she used to do her house visits wearing plain clothes. “People are not impressed by a flashy image. To represent people one must put their interests at the forefront. Academic qualifications give you the ability to put forward ideas but members of parliament who have never been to university may be closer to the people and can feel their pain thus being able to express it in parliament. Justyne admits that one of her first emotions during the swearing in ceremony when the reality of it all hit her was that she was so young compared to most of the other MP’s. In fact at 29 years she is the youngest Member of Parliament.

Justyne picks up her glass of diet drink and I tell her that it is said that the colour of the eyes of presidential candidates in the United States is a determining factor in their election. She puts down her glass abruptly and says. “I feel angry when people make such insinuations. If I had to learn that my looks had something to do with my election to parliament, I would never contest again!” She is clearly an emancipated woman but I find it surprising when her policeman husband of six months, Silvio, tells me that he drives her to and from parliament.

She talks to me of the sacrifices that politicians make and the cynic in me asks Justyne what she gets back. “When I solve a problem and see the look of relief on someone’s face – that is reward enough. A good politician must carry out her parliamentary duties assiduously but another important facet of her work is that which deals with the individuals in society. In Gozo, life is very difficult so every morning I go round departments to push for things to which my constituents have a right. However these rights are often buried beneath mountains of bureaucracy making it impossible for the ordinary man in the street to obtain what is dutifully his.” Apart from all this backbreaking work, Justyne must also look after her legal practice and so I feel as if I’m wasting her time when I ask her whether she has time for any hobbies. She does not hesitate when she tells me: “Sleeping is my hobby because it has become such a luxury!”