Two of the main pillars of the newly formed political party Momentum are good governance and transparency, Sumaya Ben Saad, a 25-year-old executive member of the party told The Malta Independent on Sunday.

"Both are issues that seem standard and which often times politicians preach about, but in reality are not really implemented." But Momentum, she said, is about taking action, and not just about talk, giving the example of the action Arnold Cassola, the party's chairperson, has taken over the years, including the filing of requests for investigations to the Standards Commissioner.

Sumaya Ben Saad described Momentum as a centrist party, taking elements from both sides of the spectrum. The party, launched two weeks ago, is currently in the process of debating and drafting its policies on issues like healthcare and education, however the party's statute can be found on its website.

 "We are still in the process of conducting what we call vision circles. So far we have held four of them, which tackled the economy, transparency and democracy, planning and infrastructure, and education." These vision circles are open for people to join, she added, where ideas are thrown around. This is important, Ben Saad said, as it means ideas not only come from one side of an issue.

The report regarding transparency and democracy has been drafted and the others are being worked on, she said. After they are complete, they will be passed on to professionals in the respective fields to vet the proposals, the party's executive member said. Then the proposals would be included in a final document.

There are some contentious topics in political debate in Malta, such as abortion, euthanasia and spring hunting. Asked for Momentum's stance on these issues, she said the party has discussed spring hunting and is against it, as it goes against one of the party's core values, which is for respect and dignity towards animals. 

The other two issues - abortion and euthanasia - have been the topic of extensive discussions within the party, Ben Saad said. The party would allow a vote of conscience on those two issues, she added. "When it comes to matters of conscience we have party members who fall on both sides, but that is not something that should divide us. However, all candidates of Momentum will publicise their stance on these issues," she said.

A concern among some people of having a third party in Parliament, she said, is the issue of instability of a government. She said that Momentum would not bring down a government in a budget vote, even if it disagrees on certain issues. She said it would vote against specific issues, but not against the Budget as a whole. As for votes of confidence, if corruption is rampant then the party would consider a vote against whatever government would be in place, she added. 

The party also believes in is the decentralisation of more funds to local councils. She said that a government project in one locality might not affect people in others, and this is why local councils having the funds for projects is important. Another reason, she said, is the general principle of empowering local councils and giving them their deserved share of funding in order to properly tend to their own local matters.

At the age of 25, Sumaya Ben Saad is new to politics. Asked what she believes are the main issues that dissuade people from entering politics, she said that her generation faced the conundrum of politicians preaching about doing things, without seeing action being taken. "We also have older family members telling us about what happened in the past, things that we didn't really experience. This extends to the constant feuds between the politicians mentioning past scandals of the opposing sides - causing further division and no opportunity for unification. That dissuades us from politics, as we need to talk about the realities of today. There are also continuous scandals and issues of corruption, and this doesn't help. Youths are now, unfortunately, more accepting of corruption matters."

In addition, not enough is being done to tackle issues faced by the youth demographic, she said. Some issues she mentioned include the quality of education, and affordability of housing "which is the biggest problem youths and people starting families face today. The fact that you need to pay back a loan for your whole life to buy an apartment is ridiculous." Another point she mentioned was the urban environment and the lack of beautification. "These are elements that transcend the needs of youths, but they have a more detrimental impact on their mental and physical well-being, as this is the only reality they have known. The younger generation isn't seeing enough action on these issues," she said.

Momentum is trying to target undecided voters. "Our target, apart from welcoming people from all walks of life unified with the party statute, is to attract undecided voters," Sumaya Ben Saad said.

Maltese politics has long been dominated by the two major political parties, the Nationalist Party and the Labour Party. Asked whether she believes there is an opportunity for a third party to make headway right now, she believes there is. "With the collective effort of the party and the driving force of youth, I believe it is possible. Looking at the European political landscape, there aren't many striking duopolies, but there are other parties that diversify the governmental landscape. So I do think that it is both possible and realistic."

Before stepping into politics there was the belief that a magical third party will suddenly govern Malta. "That is not the right way to look at things. Not that it cannot happen, but it is not our measuring stick. We are driven by statistics and data. We are offering a new driving force where people can express their frustrations and find ways how to turn that into action for change." It allows for the possibility of not only having third party members of parliament, but also the chance to have third party MPs be part of a coalition, "which was never out of the party's scope," she said.

She believes the party can get an MP elected in the next general election that is set for 2027. "The timing of our party's launch was chosen for us to aim for the coming election. We have a passion for change. We recognise what our reality is, but that never stops us from acting."

Instead of being in the background not being able to change things, she said that the party wants to be able to change things from within Parliament, either in a coalition or as third party MPs, and be able to act more effectively as checks and balances in Parliament. "We would be better able to fight against issues such as what is happening at Fort Chambray," she said.

One of the main challenges third parties face comes down to the lack of resources when compared to the PL and PN, but she said that her party recognises the importance and power of social media.

In an ideal world, Momentum would like to see political parties receive state funding, she said, and would want to see the implementation of limits on the amount a private donor can donate to a party. While the party is still discussing specifics internally, she said that one idea could be to introduce a system where a party would receive state funding depending on the number of votes it receives.