Who is Victor Zammit and what induced you to contest the forthcoming elections of the European Parliament?

I have always been an avid fan of politics. When I was six years old, my father contested the elections on the Labour Party ticket. However, I realised after my father’s career was damaged due to his lack of schooling and also the political-religious dispute of the 1960s, that to achieve this dream one had to be properly educated. I suffered a lot during this period because my family was singled out for its position in favour of the Labour Party and was regarded as a ‘black sheep’.

The occasion to go abroad came in 1970 and I left for Canada. I had to interrupt my education to team up with my brother who was in New York working in the furniture industry. I worked hard to establish myself in Canada after a period of just four months. After having a secure business, I applied to join York University, was accepted after the second attempt, and gained my BA and MA in Economics. I always related my situation to the Maltese scene and in Canada I was president of the Gozitan Club where I managed to turn around a failed situation into a successful one. I organised trips across Canada and the United States, meeting people and visiting various landmarks like Atlantic City, Tennessee and a coast to coast trip.

Thanks to these experiences, I felt I had a lot to contribute, always remaining close to the worker in my political views.

I have been following the EU issue for a long time and feel that the party to which I was always affiliated has the wrong approach on this question. Thus, I believed that I had to contest these elections as an independent candidate and here I am, presenting myself to the electorate.

You come from Gozo and it is a known fact that the Gozitan people feel disadvantaged as regards Malta. How do you believe your candidacy can help Gozitans to gain the best out of the EU and also to protect them from the inevitable disadvantages?

I have a policy on this issue. It is a known fact that the Gross Domestic Product for Malta is 60.7 per cent of the EU average and Gozo is way behind at around 43 per cent. If there are no opportunities for a country, the economy will not grow and there will be no wealth. This disparity of 18 per cent between both GDPs is important and this is all the fault of previous administrations who consistently neglected Gozo. I propose an equal redistribution of wealth and the difference between Malta and Gozo will be made up in no time. We can then be in a better position to face the challenges and increase our total GDP so that it will be much closer to the EU average.

What type of campaign are you conducting?

Due to the national situation of these elections, costs and the amount are very high so one has to be realistic in such a campaign. I decided to contest on an independent ticket as I couldn’t wait for the Labour Party to approve my candidature. I began my campaign on 2 January, printing 66,000 flyers and going door to door. I can say with some satisfaction that I managed to hand out all these flyers and through my meetings I learnt a great deal about the views and needs of the Maltese people especially with regard to politics.

Do you believe you have national appeal as a candidate and, since you come from Gozo, do you think the Maltese know you enough for them to give you their vote?

I am trying my best to give a national message and I know it isn’t easy to change the Maltese perception of the Gozitan. I firmly believe however that there should be a Gozitan MEP who understands the specific needs of Gozo. We are living as two separate entities and this situation cannot go on if we are going to move forward together. I will continue working so that there will be a Gozitan representative in the European Parliament who may not necessarily be me.

If you are elected, which committees would you like to work in?

I have had a look at the 17 current committees and believe that I will be at my best in those that deal with the economy and financial affairs. Malta will have only five representatives with five substitutes so we are rather limited in this respect, but I am open to all suggestions.

What is your final message to the electorate?

Gozo must not remain behind in the next five years and it is important that there should be a Gozitan in the European Parliament to be able to make our island’s voice heard. We should work to overcome the difference between our GDPs and to defeat the current status quo that prevails. Albert Einstein said you cannot expect to solve a problem if you remain focused on the mentality with which the problem itself was created.