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people
The message from the people
The
Nationalist Party is still reeling in the wake of a lacklustre performance
in the local council elections. Victor Scerri, president of the
PN's general council, tells NADINE BRINCAT what lessons the party
has to learn and act upon
The people have sent out a clear message to the government during
the local council elections and the worst thing that we can do is
ignore this message."
These were the words spoken by Victor Scerri, President of the Nationalist
Party's General Council.
Dr Scerri admitted the results were not positive for the PN and
said the importance of listening to the electorate could not be
overestimated.
"There can be various explanations for the results, maybe the
PN lost valuable votes to certain popular independent candidates,
for example, but essentially I think that the electorate wanted
to send a message to the party," he said. "The message
was certainly received, and now the ball is in our court. The worst
thing would be to ignore the message. The Prime Minister did well
to admit this. We must note the electorate's message, see what caused
it and act on it."
Victor Scerri may not be a household name on the political scene,
but, unknown to many, he has actually been toiling away in the line
of work for many years.
He admits that his interest in politics dates back to the seventies,
but cites his friendship with the Prime Minister's son, Beppe Fenech
Adami, when the two young men were law students together, as the
turning point in his political career.
"It was at this time that I became involved in the central
organisation of the party, through MZPN, the Nationalist Party youth
movement, in the executive council," Dr Scerri, who is a lawyer
by profession, said. "In 1992, I was involved in managing the
ELCOM office, the PN's electoral office, when the then Secretary
General of the Party, Austin Gatt, required people to help out."
As a student in his first year at sixth form he was elected into
the New Lyceum Student's Council, but his time as a student left
bitter memories when, although armed with four A levels, he discovered
he could not enter University because of the infamous numerus clausus.
In fact, despite his qualifications, he registered for work for
two years, until he found employment at a bank before, in February
1987, he eventually entered University to read for a degree in law,
"This bitterness motivated me to work and change things,"
he recalls.
Turning back to the local council elections, Dr Scerri emphasised
that the party must ensure the public understands how it is moving
forward, and ensure that it is not leaving anyone behind.
"In fact, I believe that the slogan ‘Biex hadd ma jibqa'
barra', is ideal for defining the PN's political mission,"
he said. "We must not take people for granted or be insensitive
to their needs. We have to remember that politics is a service."
The Party's Executive will meet next week to analyse the local council
election results on a local and national level.
When asked about his role as General Council President, Dr Scerri
admitted the post was important, but added that it comes down to
what the individual filling the post puts into it.
He hopes to continue in the post for another term, through next
Thursday's elections, which will elect a General Council President
and 13 members for the Executive Committee.
When asked about his vision for the party, Dr Scerri said it had
to build its future on the past.
"The PN has reorganised," he explained. "We are updating
policies, and are closer to the people. In the past we took difficult
decisions, but we believed in the people and made extraordinary
achievements."
He believes Malta's future lies within the EU, highlighting the
importance of working towards that objective, without neglecting
the local situation and the peoples' wellbeing.
"This, and people's inherent fear of change is why we must
carefully explain the effects of membership," he continues.
When asked about Labour's standpoint on the EU, Dr Scerri says it
was easy for the Opposition to harp on people's fear of change.
He criticises Labour's stand on the EU, saying, "If I were
in their shoes, I would decide after the negotiations, and I would
say that I could have gotten a better package. Otherwise, I would
join the government and support the negotiations, and take the credit
for them too. In 1998, the PN stated the EU issue would be decided
by referendum. If the Labour Party had done the same, it would not
now be tied to national elections."
Dr Scerri describes the PN as a popular party, open to everyone
in different ways, even for those who agree only with the basic
principles.
"It is vital there is a place for the old and new supporters,"
he says. "We cannot ignore the value of human resources. We
must create a culture where people have social ethics, where they
know the priorities in life."
According to Dr Scerri, information about the EU must be passed
on a more personal level, rather than ‘en masse' to help people
better understand the pros and cons, although he also believes that
the situation will improve once the negotiations come to an end.
"Then the PN must explain positive and negative aspects to
ensure it is viewed as credible," he says.
He believes that in a few years, the Arab world will form its own
economic bloc, and if Malta is not in the EU it will wind up standing
alone, which will make things very difficult.
But he also emphases the need for Malta to move forward, regardless
of the EU. "For example, levies had to be removed anyway, for
us to be competitive in the global market," he says. "And
the Drydocks has to be made economically viable."
Despite becoming interested in politics at an early age, Dr Scerri's
family was not active on the political scene, he explains, since
his father worked in the public service, and his mother was a teacher.
He also recalls, with a smile, how his mother's advice was to not
get involved in politics until he completed his studies.
Although Dr Scerri didn't strictly take heed of this advice, he
has now made the decision to dedicate more time to his legal practice,
which he admits to having put on the back burner.
And his other aim?
"To spend quality time at the weekends with my family, Marthese,
who was a widow with two children when we met, and our four-month-old
baby," he says, adding, heart-warmingly: "I consider myself
to be a father of three, so there's never a dull moment and every
spare minute is precious."
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