I have frequently been asked the following question throughout the course of this campaign: How come that an environmentalist like you is contesting an election on the PN ticket?

I grappled with the issue in January and February of this year prior to taking the decision to contest. A consideration that tipped the scales, as they say, was the strident one which made me realise that my green message would be much more effective if I work within the folds of a major party that represents, among many others, the interests of building contractors and business in general and which admittedly has been guilty of shortcomings in the past in the environmental field.

The order is indeed a tall one and many would argue that contesting with such a party will invariably lead to my green message being diluted and being watered down to that of a minor dissenting voice within the party. Having a whistleblower rubbing shoulders with policy and decision makers should indeed be what every true environmentalist in this country should aim for since this represents the culmination of inclusive democracy.

I am not being held on a short leash by the PN – if that were to happen one day, it would mark my disenchantment with the party and its ideals. Many see me as an ideal AD candidate – I still feature prominently for example on the Gozo Greens website. Although I identify myself with many of AD’s ideals in the environmental sphere (not in other spheres however) to the effect that I have not replied in any way to their sporadic attacks on me, I firmly believe that my candidacy with AD would have had limited success, if any.

The greening of the EPP-ED block is even more ambitious but is nonetheless possible, more so since the same block has recently adopted some pro-environmental stands. For example, the same block instituted the Temporary Committee on Climate Change and voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Climate Change and Energy Package that was voted through the European Parliament in a single hearing! Many accuse the same block of being too receptive to big industry interests. In fact, both the ENVI (Environment) and ITRE (Industry, Transport, Research and Energy) committees are led by the EPP-ED. The balance between the two is tricky but it is possible.

Just to cite an example – when proposals to cut down on emissions from the aviation sector where presented to the EP, the EPP-ED was in favour of such cuts since these were perceived as a measure to combat climate change. Subsequently, the local carrier Air Malta contacted all Maltese MEPs to highlight its concern that such cuts would sound the dead knell for its operations. As a result, the initial cuts in emissions were watered down slightly to ensure Air Malta’s competitiveness and survival in this cut-throat economic scenario but they still constituted cuts in emissions – i.e. the aviation sector was still bound to cut down on its emissions without putting the future of such an important sector in danger. The resulting Liese report on aviation emissions cuts can be considered as the epitome of a level-headed approach in environmental matters.

Tomorrow marks the raising of the first Blue Flag on a local beach – that of St George’s Bay. The prestigious award denotes the attainment of a high level of excellence in the bathing experience for local tourism operators. We live in exciting times indeed – to be able to ride the wave and grasp any opportunity that comes our way, we need the most competent and knowledgeable individuals.

I took up the challenge and bit the bullet and contested with the party I was (and still am, as in the case of the Ghadira road proposals) sometimes at odds with. I chose not to preach to the converted but to the unconverted since the fruits and dividends to be reaped are much higher. I will remain true to my principles since my whole credibility as a candidate and as an environmentalist ultimately hinges on this. If given the chance, I can prove that this is no fluke or a publicity stunt on my part.

www.alandeidun.eu

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Dr Deidun is a Nationalist Party candidate in the EP elections