Who are you? What is your background? Where were you educated and what is your job now?

I am Josianne Cardona Gatt, the youngest of two daughters. My parents are Alfred Cardona and Giovanna Cardona née Gatt, both from Hamrun. I was brought up in Hamrun till the age of 12. Many surely will remember my grandfather Toni il-Lafoy, or my father Fredu, and their barber shop right opposite the St Gaetano Church in Hamrun, where a long time ago people would go to their shop for a shave before going off to work. Many in Hamrun do not know me by my Christian name, but rather as il-Lafoja iz-zghira (the youngest Lafoy).

However, at the age of 12 we moved from Hamrun to Birkirkara, where I still live with my parents and where I will have my matrimonial home, as I am engaged to a Karkariz (Pierre Borg) and also because I feel that I have been adopted by the Birkirkara people.

As for my education, I give special thanks to the Augustinian nuns of St Monica School in Fleur-de-Lys, but more than anything else for the love they gave us and the high principles they instilled in us. I attended Junior College and later the University of Malta, where I studied law for six years, with the exception of four months, between 2004 and 2005, which I spent studying, thanks to the Erasmus programme, at the Universita’ degli Studi di Verona, where I widened my knowledge in European and International Law.

In April 2006 I obtained the warrant to practice law in Malta and today I work as a corporate lawyer with a private Corporate Service firm. I also have my private practice dealing with cases in civil and criminal law.

When did you contest the local council elections and what are your plans for the future?

I contested the local council elections in Birkirkara in 2006 and was elected. As local councillor, I had culture in my portfolio and was the local council’s PR. I am the vice-secretary of ECLER, the European Confederation for Local Elected Representatives, and have participated in a number of foreign meetings, one of which was LIEDRA, a European Committee that sets European policies and guidelines against domestic violence.

As a young candidate for the Nationalist Party, actually I am the youngest female candidate, I am much obliged to it for having requested my candidature for the 2008 general election. It is a pleasure and an honour because I have the opportunity, together with my fellow candidates, to contribute either directly or indirectly to our country moving forward and winning the respect it deserves.

Why do you think the PN should be re-elected?

To answer this question in full would take me too long, and this whole newspaper would not be enough to explain why the PN should be elected on 8th March.

Briefly, the PN has always faced and addressed the great challenges of our country, starting from Independence and ending with the introduction of the euro. The last four years, with Dr Gonzi as Prime Minister, have brought a stable economy for our country, a high standard of living and opportunities for everyone, from the student furthering his/her studies at MCAST to the pensioner who still feels that he/she can still contribute to society.

The Prime Minister has stated many times that we shall not be judged for the things we say but by what we achieve. On 16 February, the PN’s election programme was approved, living proof that the Nationalist Party is a dynamic party, continuously on the move, responding to the never- ending changes of our society and the needs that arise on a daily basis.

The advantages of having the PN in government after 8 March will contribute to the stability of our country, especially the challenges that are still to be surmounted considering the economic situation of other countries such as the US, which surely will have a great effect on the countries of the world.

The party’s motto that ‘together everything is possible’, will only become a reality if people place their trust in Dr Gonzi and the Nationalist team.

Do you think young candidates can contribute?

I believe that young candidates like myself are an asset because young people can come up with new ideas, ideas that reflect the development of society. However, new ideas without the experience of how to put them into practice will result in nothing. I believe that the Nationalist Party is a good mixture of both. On one side we have new ideas from young inexperienced candidates, and on the other we have the older candidates who have considerable experience in politics, which is an asset when putting ideas into practice. This is what makes the Nationalist Party a dynamic party that responds to the realities of our society. Thus, together everything is possible!