Independent election candidate Professor Arnold Cassola will be the chairperson of his newly formed centrist party, ‘Momentum,’ which was launched Friday.
In a press conference of the launch on Friday, the party’s Committee members were introduced, comprised of individuals from varied backgrounds and experiences.
The members are Sumaya Ben Saad, a junior architect and art enthusiast, Dr Matthew Agius, a scientist and academic, Katya Compagno, a secondary school teacher, primary school teacher with over 25 years of experience Natasha Azzopardi, retired banker and treasurer for the party Carmel Asciak, tech entrepreneur and Secretary General for Momentum Mark Camilleri Gambin, and Chairperson Professor Cassola.
Agius gave a brief presentation of how Momentum was formed, recalling the last general election where four individuals decided to join Cassola and work for his election campaign, ‘We deserve better.’
He said that these four volunteers increased to a total of 40 individuals who organised and worked on Cassola’s last electoral campaign for the European Parliament elections, which resulted to 13,000 first-count votes, “a national record.”
“The momentum continued after the election. An online campaign was created and hundreds expressed interest in registering,” Agius said. He added that all these events are what contributed to the formation of Momentum.
Since last July, the party has been organising what it calls “vision circles,” – which it already conducted four of, and which hundreds have already attended.
These vision circles offer the community a space to meet and discuss thoughts and ideas on policies moving forward, varying on several important themes in the country. Attendance is open to everyone of all ages, backgrounds and experiences.
The themes which have been discussed lately were transparency and democracy, infrastructure and planning, economy, and education.
Ideas are then collected and analysed, then published in a report, which is to be the base of Momentum’s policies.
Camilleri Gambin described the party as “centrist-aligned,” which focuses on three pillars- good governance, a flourishing environment, and a just economy.
“We believe extremes divide people. We believe in pragmatic solutions by speaking with the people as the best way forward,” Camilleri Gambin said.
The basic principles of Momentum’s statute are good governance, environmental sustainability, human wellbeing, social justice, cultural and historical preservation, equal opportunities, education and youth, animal welfare and a free vote on matters of conscience, with Camilleri Gambin clarifying that if one member of the party disagrees with a matter, they may vote based on their conscience.
He said that Momentum’s values are based on honesty, competence, courage, consistency, efficiency and collaborative spirit.
Camilleri Gambin, who has not been involved in politics, called for individuals to join them in the journey, whether they are new to politics or seeking a fresh perspective.
“This is a party made up of the people,” he said. Camilleri Gambin said that in the coming days, the party will issue its own policies.
Individuals can visit partitmomentum.org to join, volunteer, or support their vision for a better Malta through donations.
Asked if the party will be aiming to have candidates contesting in each district, Agius said that Momentum is in the process of discussion with individuals who are interested in contesting as a candidate in the next election, and Cassola would certainly be a candidate.
Whether or not they will have a candidate for each district depends on how many candidates contest, Agius said, adding that the party could focus on certain districts rather than all.
Asked if the party would collaborate with other emerging small parties to improve their chances in the election, Camilleri Gambin said that it is necessary for Momentum to collaborate with other small parties, but at the same time, the process of whether the public accepts and trusts the party is still starting.
He said that he did not feel it a problem that there are other small parties with similar views and concepts, and did not see the need to join forces at this moment in time.
“We are building on the Momentum we have gained and we will continue building a strong platform,” Camilleri Gambin said.
He said that in the last election, around 100,000 people did not vote. “We believe there is something wrong, that resulted in people not wanting to vote. We want to do what we can, create the necessary structures, and if we need to do it with someone else, why not?” he said.
Asked about the party’s chances in electing a Momentum candidate as a representative in Parliament, Agius said that that if one divides these 100,000 people who did not vote across all 13 districts, there is quite a high chance.
“It is possible if enough people give us their trust and believe in our validity,” Camilleri Gambin added.
Asked about party funding, and where they envision obtaining the funds to sustain their efforts, Camilleri Gambin said that people can donate via their website, but for now, since there is no state-funding for political parties in the country, Momentum has to rely on many small contributions from the public.