2002 • A year of interviews

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	Fr Colin Apap – 6 January 2002 "It is wrong to put the Maltese church in one pigeonhole. But there is what I call a curia mentality among church leaders. The curia is formed by a subculture of priests some of whom had been active at grass roots level. However, once priests become part of the structure they become more rule-orientated rather then pastoral."
	Michael Frendo – 13 January 2002 "Recent history, both in political and economic terms shows that if Europe sneezes, Malta catches a cold... In the 1970s the EU had locked out our textile exports because there was a glut in the market and that hit us rather badly. Perhaps, being closer to the US would benefit the island just the same, but the EU option is more in line with our culture, history and identity and given our trading patterns, it makes more economic sense."
	Reno Borg – 20 January 2002 "I think Mintoff did not respect the will of the majority. He wanted to dictate his own views. Labour could not carry on governing with such a hindrance. Mintoff did a lot for Malta and should be respected for that. I do not believe Mintoff's excuses for voting against Labour. Someone has to explain the Mintoff - De Marco friendship some day."
	Simon Busuttil – 03 February 2002 "It [the lack of internal consensus on EU membership] could be of benefit for Malta’s negotiating stance because it could serve as an incentive for the EU to accept more willingly the special arrangements requested by the negotiating team."
	Tony Coleiro – 10 February 2002 "I have said several times that if EU membership was beneficial for the whole of Malta except the Dockyards, I would be man enough to accept it. After all, we all have our families who deserve a better living. We have proved in the past that we don’t need anyone to tell us what we should do to better our lives. We have been enjoying the minimum wage, equal pay for equal work for both sexes, 13 weeks pregnancy leave, bonuses, two thirds pensions and much more, long before our British friends."
	Joe Saliba – 17 February 2002 "In a general election people evaluate what is being presented by the political parties and the government’s track record. In a referendum a different reasoning comes into play. It is not determined solely by the government’s track record but a major part of the formula depends on the success or failure of the EU to help countries develop. People will ask themselves how the EU will evolve and how will it influence their future."
	Charles Mangion – 24 February 2002 "The MLP is not an anti-EU party, as has been clearly shown by the fact that we want to participate in the forthcoming Future for Europe Convention. But the government’s propaganda machine has an interest in making the MLP sound as if it is against the EU, while the truth is that the Labour party is seeking an alternative form of partnership taking into account, first and foremost, Malta’s best interests."
	Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando – 03 March 2002 "Just days ago I was talking to my eldest daughter, Jennifer, who’s 13 years old and a talented singer. I’ve always taken an interest in her singing and was encouraging her at the time. Then she turned to me and said, ‘Dad, you’ve got a talent too – politics. You’re encouraging me to stick to my singing – you must keep going at what you’re good at too’."
	Adrian Vassallo – 10 March 2002 "The fact that I hunt does not mean I don’t love birds. It’s the thrill of the chase that lures all hunters, not the wish to hurt birds. If I didn’t love them, would I keep an aviary with dozens of the creatures? I love anything to do with birds, whether it’s reading about them, breeding them, rearing them, keeping them…"
	Alex Manche – 17 March 2002 "The healthiest people I’ve met are the farmers who have a traditionally healthy job – farming. If I have to operate on a person who is a farmer, there are usually never any complications at all."
	Giovanna Debono – 24 March 2002 "Unlike the Maltese, we don’t think of inside as ours and outside as no one’s. The outdoors is for everyone to enjoy and we want to make sure that it remains like that."
	Robert Arrigo – 31 March 2002 "I know that there will be plusses and minuses when we're in this club [the EU]. But that’s always the story. Even when one gets married, there have to be sacrifices, but on the other hand if one stays a bachelor there would be the main problem of solitude."

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