Controversial and popular personality Salvu Mallia, who until recently hosted popular TV proramme ‘Madwarna’ on TVM until he became anti-Joseph Muscat, is telling his supporters that he will be running for office on the PN ticket.

The revelation comes as a surprise since it was understood that Salvu Mallia, a liberal by nature, would have joined forces with Democratic Party leader Marlene Farrugia and not a conservative party.

But Mr Mallia, who is in his late sixties, believes that if he really wants to change things then he needs to form part of a political force that can offer serious resistance to the present administration led by Prime minister Joseph Muscat.

A self-declared member of the ‘Tagħna Lkoll’ movement, Mallia fell out of love with Muscat soon after the general election when, according to him, the country became a businessman’s haven with little, if no regard, to the common citizen.

While Mr Mallia seems to be well prepared to join forces with the PN, the big unanswered question is whether PN supporters are ready to take him on board. Many in the PN have grown to be very weary of charismatic characters who tend to try and become greater than the party they represent.

Recent memories are still vivid in people’s minds of parliamentary representatives such as Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando, who resisted party policy and went as far as voting against their own leader in Parliament. Even worse, there have been PN MPs such as Jesmond Mugliett who held meetings with Joseph Muscat, then Opposition leader, right in their own home. 

Will the PN succumb to another loose cannon? A PN spokesman, in replies to questions sent by The Malta Independent, said that Mr Mallia’s interest to run on the PN ticket is positive news because like many others he views the PN as the natural force that can stop Joseph Muscat from tarnishing Malta’s reputation and destroying the environment. However, the spokesperson added, Mr Mallia’s candidature needs to be discussed and decided upon within the party structures before an announcement is made.

During a recent interview with The Malta Independent, asked what changed since the General elections, when he voted for the Prime Minister, he said: “Contrary to what people say, I voted for Joseph Muscat because the PN had been in government for too long. Many people became greedy. At the beginning, I was happy when PN came into power in 1987 because Malta had been turned into a dumpster.  I believe that Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami saved Malta from a civil war”.

“The catalyst for my change in views on Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was Zonqor point. For me this was the government laughing in the face of people. The project is just a money-maker. From this point things took a turn for the worse. Dr Muscat dropped his mask and showed his true colours. After, we saw that obscene New Year’s Day video, and the statements made by his wife. This all has led me to believe that Dr Muscat has nothing to offer. For him money is the priority – it shows he has a poor understanding of culture, and therefore a poor level of education. He is still quite young – at 40 years old a man is at the point in his life where he is the most ambitious. He got lucky because he found professionals who had an interest in backing him, and in turn helped to get him in power ”

He said he blamed the PN for pushing him into believing Joseph Muscat, “a person who I believe is worth nothing”.

He has also criticised PBS, and its new CEO John Bundy. He said he never had a good relationship with PBS “ We take a long time to get paid, as you know. What has changed is before you had to fight to get paid after six months, after this government came into power it started to take about a year, a year and a half, because they have no money. These are the same people who spend €80,000 on a coat for the Eurovision which did not even get used. These are the same people who spend so much money on the Eurovision, which brings us nothing, maybe to put some money in someone’s pocket”.

He was asked which CEO chose to axe his programme and in response he had said:  “According to newly appointed CEO John Bundy, it was under Anton Attard that the decision was taken. “I told him [Mr Bundy], if you are a real man, you should resign. He is not a real man unfortunately, because he did not. Funnily enough in Malta, the only person with a pair (….) happens to be a woman – Marlene Farrugia.”