“I’ll be honest with you: if this were an ordinary national election, I would not consider contesting. But this election is different.”

We are in Cafe Cordina in Valletta, which, judging by the warmth with which he is received by staff and regular clients alike, would appear to be a centre for Damian Iwueke’s campaign. I ask him what he considers to be different about this election in particular.

“This is a European election,” he replies emphatically. “It will offer an opportunity to the local population to express itself on local politics. No matter what the result, I believe it will send a clear message to the government and opposition in this country. People are tired of the political situation. They are not happy with the way their representatives are behaving. They want a change.”

Damian Iwueke, 45, is married to a Maltese citizen and has lived in Malta for the the past 15 years. A FIFA-recognised football agent, he is perhaps best known for his involvement in local sports... but today, the subject is his candidature for the MEP elections on 12 June. Football apart, who is Damian Iwueke, and what are the issues he feels strongly about?

“There are many issues here that have been ignored by the mainstream parties,” he replies, citing as examples the rights of women, single parents, gays, the divorce issue, rights of the underprivileged, and many more. “Taken together, I would say these issues could be summarised in three words: social justice, equality and tolerance.”

Damian starts off by talking about single parents, a sector of society he considers to have been “neglected” by the government.

“I went to school in Finland, and in my general attitude towards politics I have borrowed a lot from Nordic countries. One thing that struck me is the fact that Scandinavia has government-financed day care centres in all localities. Compare this to Malta and you will see that single parents locally do not enjoy the same rights as other members of society.”

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Damian also feels very strongly about racism... although he does not seem to think that Malta is a very racist place.

However, some of the reactions to his candidature, especially certain SMSs received during his recent television appearances, reveal that a small minority of Maltese people is not yet ready to embrace the European ideals of diversity.

“Some people seem to think you must be born and bred in a country to run for politics. But this is not true.” Damian goes on to cite numerous foreign instances where naturalised citizens came to represent their adopted countries on a political level. “Look at the Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenneger,” he points out. “He was born in Austria of Austrian parents. More recently, we have seen Sonia Gandhi – of Italian origin – winning the Indian national elections... and what about the Queen of England? Her husband, Prince Philip, is actually Greek. And just yesterday it was announced that a Finnish politician will be contesting the MEP elections – in France!”

Elsewhere, Damian continues, there are even Maltese emigrants who have risen to represent their adopted countries: among them, the Governor of Gibraltar, who is Maltese... as are several MPs in Australia.

But on to other minority issues. According to Damian, part of the reason these are never tackled is the fact that the political scene has been dominated by two main parties, both of whom are obsessed with acquiring votes at all costs.

“Take the divorce issue, for instance. I’m happily married, so it doesn’t affect me personally... but then, why should society make things impossible for couples to go their separate ways if things don’t work out? The big parties know this, so why don’t they address the issue?”

In every instance, Damian argues, it is the political situation that hampers real dialogue on these and other issues.

As a final question, I ask Damian how he rates his own chances in this election... to which he replies that he is “very optimistic.”

“Not necessarily about winning”, he hastens to add. “Politics is not just about winning; it’s also about bringing issues to the forefront. The fact that the Maltese have someone like me to vote for is already a testament to the change that is taking place: Malta is becoming a more diversified country, and this is why we wanted to join Europe in the first place. If the only thing I succeed in doing through my candidature is creating awareness about minority issues, to me that would be victory enough.”