Is AN going to contest all districts?

Yes, we have approached valid people who want to give their contribution to this country; however, there are a number of people who are afraid to antagonise the two main parties.

What about local councils?

AN believes that political parties should not be involved in such elections, so we will not contest them; however, we will support independent candidates.

With whom are you envisaging to set up a coalition if elected to parliament?

We cannot remain victims of two parties that do not want to collaborate. AN, if elected, will seek to set up a national government, for at least the time needed to tackle important national problems such as certain EU rules, energy, and taxation.

If no one wants to set up a national government, we would then set up a coalition with the party which is closest to our manifesto.

However, we will never budge on certain issues, such as sovereignty, the family, law and order and the restructuring of the welfare state and taxation.

What do you make of the other parties’ proposals?

It has been a recurrent feature during electoral campaigns for the so-called main political parties to unleash their gimmicks, their sensational promises. The VAT issue during the 1996 campaign comes to mind. The Malta Labour Party did in fact remove VAT; however, the results are known to all and sundry.

In 2003, the two parties were diametrically opposed regarding the EU accession issue with the Nationalist Party promising heaven while the MLP conjured up the partnership concept in order to prevent hell. After the election, the MLP accepted the people’s verdict, which makes sense to a certain extent; however, it did so without reservations. Now after almost four years of EU membership, the people have grown disillusioned as membership is not heaven; however, it is not hell either.

Had the MLP kept certain reservations, the country would have had larger bargaining power especially had a common front been created.

What is wrong with our participation in the EU?

I am particularly worried about how Malta has ratified the Lisbon Treaty. While other countries are taking weeks to discuss it and Ireland is holding a referendum, the Maltese parliament ratified it without reservations just after five hours of discussion, as if it were a trivial thing.

The two parties in parliament have sold our sovereignty and ceded Malta’s bargaining power while reducing us to a bunch of “yes sirs” with regard to the EU.

What are you proposing?

While the PN and MLP try to outdo each other’s unrealistic electoral promises through their auction politics, Azzjoni Nazzjonali’s manifesto focuses on tax rebates and incentives for people to work and increase productivity while giving a chance to the talented to develop their capabilities.

AN is proposing new ideas regarding the family, education, parliament and politics in general. At no stage will we be handing out cash, except for the sick, elderly and the truly needy.

What is AN’s vision for the family?

We are focusing on recognising the important role of the woman as a loving mother who imparts love, values, education, discipline and forms children’s character with the help of the man in a traditional Maltese family.

For us, a family consists of a woman, her husband and their offspring. All other forms are an aberration to the traditional family. We believe in the right of people to cohabit, be gay or live as single parents and we do not want to meddle with their choices; however, that is not a family to us.

We will certainly not allow gay couples to adopt children, while parties in cohabitating couples must act responsibly towards each other and have the same obligations of a married family.

As regards single mothers, we will not turn our backs on their children; however, the state must stop incentivising this problem with tax money gained at the honest worker’s expense. It makes more sense for single mothers not to work, given the subsidies they receive for rent, medicines, hospital care and social services.

To this end, if either of the spouses decides to remain at home and raise children, the breadwinner’s salary will be increased by a minimum wage in order to recognise the role of housewives/husbands. This incentive will be in place until the couple’s children reach school-leaving age.

Furthermore, if the home-remaining spouse wishes to undertake part-time work, such spouse would only be taxed if he or she reaches a certain level of remuneration.

Why are you so keen on leaving a parent at home?

We believe that the practising of values starts at home and children carry their values with them to school. If children are not disciplined at home, how can we expect them to behave themselves at school?

AN also believes that the problem of the falling birth rate should be addressed by encouraging bigger families.

By encouraging foreign people to work in Malta, we would solve our social structure problems temporarily until our population pyramid regains its shape. However, immigrants will only be allowed if in possession of a working permit and will be asked to leave if they are unemployed.

How will you tackle

irregular migration?

We believe that boat people and foreigners without a visa are here illegally. Now is it fair to accommodate them while we have foreign people working here legally and also paying tax? The solution to irregular migration lies in stopping it. Besides, we are ready to carry our own fair share of the burden with the rest of the EU. We must bear in mind that we accommodate people coming from 27 countries.

What are your proposals regarding the economy?

AN is proposing an overhaul of the Maltese taxation regime. We have thoroughly studied the situation in the former Communist Bloc countries which succeeded in achieving veritable economic growth while having a 20 to 18 per cent income tax rate.

AN believes that SMEs and family businesses are the backbone of the economy. The party also believes that income tax should be gradually scaled down to an 18 per cent flat rate and minimum taxable income should stand at e13,976 (Lm6,000). Furthermore, income derived from overtime and part-time work is also to be taxed at 18 per cent. We are also proposing that VAT should also remain at 18 per cent.

The income tax rate will be gradually toned down in order to prevent shocks in the economy so as not to negatively affect the more vulnerable sector of society. We are also promising a monitoring committee that will delve into problems so that no one is negatively affected. Any problems spotted will be immediately addressed.

We at AN believe that the minimum wage as it stands is not realistic and it really should be raised substantially. In this country we need to take care of the poor as well as the millionaires as brains need limbs and vice versa. Every person counts.

Our party believes that everyone should comply with our social obligation and help the less fortunate members of our society. We can all do so by passing 18 per cent of our income to the government.

We also agree to see that pensions should be at least set to 60 per cent of the national average income.

During your party launch you have held that more young people are turning to drugs. How is AN going to tackle the problem?

We believe that people start taking drugs and turn to delinquency because they are sad as they cannot see a rosy future and are bored with their life.

Now I believe that life can be boring only if you have nothing to do; so we can eliminate their boredom.

This fact further highlights the importance of the family. Nowadays we have 10-year-olds who have been given their house keys by their working parents. The children are made to watch TV, eat dinner prepared by their tired parents and are then sent straight to bed. Children are being brought up without values and society has given them too much power, so much so that if punished they would threaten their parents or teachers with reporting them. We must defend parents’ rights.

The root of all problems, we believe, is the state of the family. I have been a practising doctor for 40 years and I work closely with women. I have decided to re-enter the political fray because of three comments women have passed throughout the years. A few years ago I used to be told “bringing up our children has become really difficult”; later it turned into “our authority over our children has disappeared” while nowadays parents tell me “we’re finished doc”.

We can never give our children faith in themselves and their future by preaching about the state of the economy and how the country can advance. We can only do that by giving happiness and security back to our families, and this conviction explains our keenness on defending it.

What are your proposed policies regarding law and order?

AN is all out for being hard on crime. We believe that criminals should be afraid of society rather than the other way round. We will see that all measures are taken to guarantee that law-abiding citizens feel free without feeling that they are in a state of fear in their homes.

Those found guilty of beating up our elderly or of burglary will not just be sentenced to a jail term but will be made to work in order to compensate victims.

Furthermore, the police will be further empowered so as to restore respect to and fear of the police and authority.

The army on the other hand is demoralised as its main duties have been reduced to minding irregular migrants.

AN believes in encouraging soldiers and above all, in redressing all injustices made during the years and make soldiers proud of themselves and their work.

The army has been politicised too much in the past and the effects are there for all to see as we have ended up with more chiefs than Indians. This is why we hold that the President of Malta should be responsible for the army, besides being the guardian of the Constitution.

How would you envisage the Maltese presidency?

The people should elect the President directly and candidates should have been out of politics for at least two years.

Certainly the way the current President was appointed is unacceptable; one day he was Prime Minister and the next he was President.

AN proposes that the President would be aided by a council of state which will be able to provide redress to people and investigate dubious issues.

The council would be obliged to publish its investigations.

During AN’s launch you promised to step up accountability. How will you do so?

We need to change our accountability laws.

The country has been taken for a ride for too long while our current law on corruption and mismanagement has not been enforced.

Everybody should be accountable for his deeds, and I mean from the President downwards, including political parties.

We believe that parties should declare funds passed on by supporters and to this end, we are proposing to introduce a law similar to that in place in Canada, where donations of as little as C$100 (e68.57) must be declared.