people
On political exile, party names and the Irish vote

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE FORCED TO LIVE OUTSIDE OF YOUR COUNTRY FOR FEAR OF POLITICAL REPERCUSSIONS?
RICHARD MUSCAT TELLS MIRIAM DUNN ABOUT THOSE YEARS HE WAS FORCED TO SPEND IN ITALY, PRIOR TO THE 1987 ELECTION, AND WHAT HE HAS BEEN DOING SINCE

Photos by Paul Blandford

He spent almost six years during the 1980s in what he describes as ‘prudent exile’ fearing the repercussions of running the Nationalist party’s Sicily-based television station in the face of vehement government opposition.

Richard Muscat, who now heads the Voice of the Mediterranean radio station, knows firsthand what it’s like to experience intimidation, isolation and uncertainty, choosing to take up a post in Rome and move his family there from Attard rather than risk returning to Malta following the controversial 1982 election result.

Life obviously improved with the change of government in 1987, but the former parliamentary secretary for culture and youth has also suffered his share of upsets more recently, such as losing his seat at the 1998 election. But he is adamant that his Syracuse experience gave him the strength to weather such storms, rather than scarring him, citing his decision to sign up at Malta University as a mature student as a case in point.

"I made the decision when the PN lost the 1996 election and suddenly I found myself without work and no job offers coming in because of my political connections," he says. "Rather than letting my disappointment fester I took up a friend’s advice and decided to enrol on a communications course, which was a wonderful experience."

I take Mr Muscat back to those turbulent years of the early 1980s, when the PN took the controversial decision to broadcast its message from outside the island, after the Mintoff government rejected their request for a local station.

"The decision to transmit from abroad was radical, but at that time, we really had no choice," he explains. "There was a state monopoly on television, and it was evident that the government had no intention of giving us a licence, even though we complained that we were being robbed of our constitutional rights.

"The situation was creating tension and adding to the divisiveness, both on the political scene and throughout society in general, with the result that we felt the need to ensure our message got across, even if the steps we needed to take were drastic."

Mr Muscat was heading the AZAD academy at the time that Eddie Fenech Adami asked him to go to Syracuse to oversee the setting up of the Studiorama station.

Although he was aware that taking on the task would be risky and involve making sacrifices, he stresses that he was ready to "pay the price".

"I viewed the offer as a ‘challenge for a good cause’ which would also give me the chance to put into practice some of the ideas that we had been talking about at AZAD," he explains. "For example, I had been speaking about the principles of freedom, but this was my chance to show what that really meant."

But it wasn’t easy. Mr Muscat had to pack up and make the journey at short notice - just a few days - leaving his wife and three young boys in Malta.

And the operation was far from smooth, as he recalls.

"The set-up was very rudimentary and we had a lot of technical problems," he says, with a smile. "We also had to deal with threats and hindrances which inevitably got worse as the election approached.

"We even got to know that a Sicilian was hired to try to block our signal. But we always overcame the obstacles put in our way."

There was no doubt, however, that tension was mounting as the election drew nearer, so much so that the PN leader decided it was too risky for Mr Muscat to return home at the time.

"Dr Fenech Adami told me it was better to sacrifice my vote since no one knew what might happen," he explains. "And the chaotic events after the election, coupled with the controversial result, showed that it was the right decision."

Once the outcome of the election was confirmed, Mr Muscat says, the feeling of discontent and dissatisfaction among the people was picked up and relayed by Studiorama. But concurrently, the threats and intimidation became much worse and also very personal.

"I was told I couldn’t come back to Malta and that if I tried to, I would be charged under the Sedition Act and imprisoned," he says.

The future of Studiorama also began to look uncertain, with the Maltese government making an only thinly veiled threat that it would suspend its neutrality agreement with Italy if it allowed the PN to continue broadcasting.

Mr Muscat explains that although Italy resisted the threats for a while, it succumbed to pressure in August 1982, when Studiorama was closed down.

"It was the only time that Italy closed down a free voice," he says. "Even worse, Mintoff also introduced the Foreign Interference Act to ensure our operation and others were from then on illegal."

Unable to come home, Mr Muscat made the decision to move his family to Rome, where he took up the post of director of press information at the Christian Democrat parties’ international office. He stayed there for a further four years until the change of government in 1987, when, once voted into power, Dr Fenech Adami immediately phoned him and told him to come back, which he did to a rapturous and emotional welcome home.

Mr Muscat decided to put his thoughts and experiences during those turbulent times in a diary, which, following strong encouragement from Dr Fenech Adami, was later published as a book entitled ‘Ghandi missjoni ghalik’.

"Dr Fenech Adami asked me if he could read some of my diary when he saw me writing it one day, and was impressed with the contents, saying he felt it should be published," he explains. "I was concerned since there was both praise and criticism for the PN and its leader in my writing, but he was insistent, saying it should be published verbatim. In the end I accepted."

In a move that was significant for Mr Muscat, he was awarded a literary prize for the publication during the MLP’s term in office during 1997.

"Frankly, I was surprised when I won the award and said as much to the Labour minister for education, Evarist Bartolo," he admits. "The moment when Evarist told me he believed I deserved it was an important one in that I viewed it as an indication that the moderate faction of the MLP, at least, accepted that what happened to me was unjustified, and left a black mark in Labour’s history."

Having experienced firsthand what it’s like to work in broadcasting at a time when the sector was being suppressed, I am interested to hear his views on the media in Malta today. Do we now have enough freedom of speech?

Mr Muscat believes that although it is now 20 years since Studiorama was operating and almost a decade after the decision was taken to distribute licences in the private sector, broadcasting is still in a transitional phase.

"But certainly, to me, those transmissions from Syracuse represent the genesis of pluralism in the media in Malta," he adds. "I know there is speculation as to whether we have too many stations considering the size of our island, but my own view is that the market will sort out whether this is the case on its own."

The media has played an important part in Mr Muscat’s life and was also his chosen subject when he decided to further his studies as a mature student.

So what prompted his decision to go back to school, I ask.

"Although I retained my seat when the PN lost the 1996 election, I couldn’t find a job because of my political associations," he answers. "A friend asked me if I’d thought of furthering my studies and it so happened that at the time it was almost the beginning of the new academic year, so I decided to enrol."

And what was it like being a mature student?

"I really cherished those years, mixing with younger students and competing with them," he replies. "It was like entering a mature era with a young spirit.

"Admittedly, the last year was very difficult because when there was a change of government, the job opportunities came back. But the younger people really kept me on my toes and although it was hard work, it was also great fun."

Ironically, the early election that brought job offers was also the one at which Mr Muscat lost his seat, a development that must have been disappointing for him.

"Yes, of course I was disappointed, and also frustrated since I missed out for just 13 votes," he admits. "But everything that I’ve been through in the past has given me the strength to get through difficult times."

And his work at the Voice of the Mediterranean which he combines with a post of non-resident ambassador to Ireland are also bringing a great deal of satisfaction, he stresses.

On the subject of Ireland, I ask him for his views on the people’s decision to vote no to EU enlargement in the recent referendum.

"The referendum was a big disappointment," he admits. "But although it was a democratic decision, the turnout was so low that one can hardly define it as a clear-cut result.

"From our point of view, I think that those of us who believe Ireland has made admirable achievements from EU membership must learn a lesson from this for our own referendum and that is that no vote should be taken for granted. We must strive to get our message across. Declarations are not enough."

I wonder whether concern that the message is not getting across also indicates that there is a problem with any of the messengers.

Do we need some new faces at the top, possibly even a change of leadership, I ask.

"There is always speculation and talk on this subject, partly because we have a tradition of long-standing leaders at the helm, whether they are in politics, the church or unions," Mr Muscat answers. "I think Dr Fenech Adami still has the flexibility in his way of thinking and is still adaptable enough to move in the direction that suits the country best.
"For me, the important issue is that a change in the leadership comes at the most opportune time, when it will do least harm all round, to the leader’s own career, the party and the country in general."

But perhaps we could do with some changes further down the political hierarchy?

"Well, of course, we always need some new blood at times," he answers. "Change is always welcome, particularly if one considers that the party has been governing uninterrupted, save those two years, since 1987.

"When a party is in power for a length of time, there is a need to keep people motivated and if the policies are the right ones, one has to ask how else this can be done."

Mr Muscat points out that the need to give opportunities to the younger generation has long been recognised at party level.

"In fact, it could be said that the great focus the PN places on the younger generation at party level is not reflected in the Cabinet set-up," he admits.

So he feels that the PN, with its affiliation to the Christian Democrats, is still in touch with today’s younger voters?

"Perhaps the name doesn’t always help and it is true that many see the views of the Christian Democratic party as no longer relevant. But I believe the values and principles that we were working on in those days can still form the basis of a modern party today," he answers. "However, since we sometimes have to explain to outsiders that despite our name, we are not isolationist or xenophobic as some nationalistic parties might be, I wonder whether the Nationalist party may do well to consider a name change to help us as a matter of course."