News • 17 November 2002

Voters want Rizzo to contest elections

- Arrigo still waiting

Paceville, ice rink - Residents from the 9th and 10th electoral districts are pushing for Albert Rizzo and Robert Arrigo to contest the next general election but are disillusioned because the party has not taken a stand, at least as regards Robert Arrigo.

Albert Rizzo's situation is different, as he has not yet applied for candidacy because he fears that the Nationalist Party will give him the elbow once again. Despite being a staunch Nationalist Party supporter Albert Rizzo has never been asked by the party to stand for the local council election. People who help Albert Rizzo during the local council elections and many Gzira residents have recently urged Mr Rizzo to contest for the general elections.

Rumours at Gzira that Rizzo will contest for the PN are gaining momentum and when MaltaToday asked the Gzira Councillor whether there's any truth behind it he said:

“Yes, many Gzira residents have encouraged me and are still pushing me to apply for candidacy with the PN. I am ready to stand but the only obstacle is that I do not know whether the party will accept my offer.”

"I still love the party and I would like to help and be part of the PN team which will win the next general election. I have always believed in the PN and although I am well known in Gzira that I respect everyone, being Nationalist or Labourite, I always believed that the PN has been and still is the best political party in Malta.

"But I do not know why no-one from the PN has ever told me to contest for the Local Council election. If that had happened, then in Gzira there would have not been a Labour Mayor. What is happening at Gzira is that it's either Dr Ian Micallef for a Nationalist Mayor or no one, and that is not fair.

"I always was and still am in favour of changing the Mayor Vincenza Attard in Gzira and that is why we will be discussing a motion which I presented. She will face a vote of no confidence tomorrow." Independent councillor Albert Rizzo said the Mayor has never tried to control Labour Councillor Alfred Kitcher who according to Mr Rizzo is arrogant and always at loggerheads with PN Councillor Ian Micallef,.

"I had proposed Mr Rutter for Gzira Mayor but Dr Ian Micallef did not agree and everything stayed status quo. So is it worth all the hassle in presenting my candidacy for the PN? As I said I want to contest and even Dr John Vella, PN's Deputy on the ninth district wants me to contest even though I always worked for him during the General Elections. But we are ready to work together for the good of the Gzira residents. I am 100 per cent sure that I will even poll votes from Labourites as I do in the Local Council Elections. Many of them do support me even during the Local Councils. I am a friend of many Gzira Labourites and they respect me as well and are ready to vote for me if I do contest. But that does not depend solely on me, it is something for the party to approve and having always been a loyal PN supporter helping them in many matters, I don't know why all this red tape."

MaltaToday spoke to PN General Secretary Joe Saliba about Albert Rizzo and Robert Arrigo. He said that all prospective candidates have to be scrutinised by the party and at the moment when the party executive meets a number of candidates are approved.

"We have already approved practically all the present deputies and some other candidates and we are in the process of approving more. We haven't turned people down but it is a process we must abide by. This week we will also discuss the code of ethics of the party and that has to do with the approval of the candidates.

'Regarding the Robert Arrigo and Albert Rizzo cases, are different. Whilst Robert Arrigo has applied to be a PN candidate for the next general election, Mr Rizzo has not submitted an application.

"For me it's news that Rizzo wants to contest. I did not know that he wants to contest for the national election. I thought that he do not want to be a rival to Dr Vella. But he could also submit his name and the party will discuss him.

"I am not going to say who will be approved or not, all I can say is that we surely need more candidates for the second and third district than for the ninth and 10th.

Meanwhile longstanding Sliema Mayor Robert Arrigo is already meeting people and has kicked off his door to door campaign even though he has not yet been approved by the Nationalist Party to contest.

Robert Arrigo has been Sliema’s Mayor ever since 1994 and is known to be a decisive force within the locality. People who vote for him and others who have the Nationalist Party at heart and are from Sliema told MaltaToday that he has proved himself to be a good asset for Sliema in every aspect. Of course his critics say he's been a great waste of space, but that's just politics.

A Robert Arrigo canvasser told Malta Today that the Sliema Mayor polls around 400 personal votes, most of them from Sliema Labour Party supporters.

He also said that there are ‘frigid’ PN voters who have decided they would not vote if the party does not give Mr Arrigo the green light.

Regarding whether Dr Hyzler had been given priority over Mayor Robert Arrigo, PN official Gordon Pisani had said; "Much has been said about Mr Arrigo and the PN. It is the PN executive committee that approaches potential candidates not the other way round.

"We haven’t refused Mr Arrigo. We simply haven’t discussed the chances of Mr Arrigo representing the party at the next general elections."

Sliema, San Gwann, Swieqi, Pembroke and St Julians make up the 10 district. Nationalists hold a four-seat majority in the district yet political observers say that both the PN and the MLP might lose a few votes to AD in the next elections with AD chief Dr Harry Vassallo said to be doing well in his door-to-door canvassing.

In 1998 no fewer than 15 candidates were fielded. Guido de Marco, Francis Zammit Dimech, George Pullicino and Michael Refalo were elected for the district. Dolores Cristina was subsequently elected in a casual election.

Michael Frendo replaced Guido De Marco in a by-election following his appointment as President of the Republic.

The 10th district has been known for its strong intra-party rivalry, where numerous PN candidates battle each other. The next elections may be no exception and the Nationalist stronghold could be set for one of the most interesting of the electoral battles.

Both Rizzo and Arrigo's close allies say that both men are already proven in the field and the number of votes they polled in the local council elections speak for themselves.