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Karl Schembri
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi yesterday showed he found no contradiction in abandoning the Labour fortress of Zejtun for the March elections despite his party’s battles 20 years ago to hold democratic demonstrations there, while Labour thugs beat up PN activists.
Presenting the party’s 111 local elections candidates instead of the original 115, Gonzi said the Zejtun people were probably those who appreciated “the great democratic changes brought about by the PN” even though the party’s decision to withdraw candidates from there and from Marsa meant there will be no elections in the two localities.
Gonzi was reacting to a
MaltaToday question on how he could justify his decision to withdraw candidates for an election in Zejtun when so many Nationalist activists had fought in the eighties for their political rights.
“The people of Zejtun appreciate, probably more than others, the great democratic changes brought about by the PN, particularly for the Zejtun people,” Gonzi said.
The press conference announcing the PN’s local programme “work, education, environment” was filmed for TV but, unlike previous occasions, strangely, it was not broadcast live by the PN’s television station.
Gonzi expressed his surprise at the media attention being given to his party’s withdrawal from local elections, alleging that Labour did the same.
“Every party takes its decisions on which candidates to field in every locality,” Gonzi said. “For example Dr Sant announced he had 119 candidates but he effectively had 116. So I ask, what happened to those three candidates? Why did they withdraw their nominations?”
Prime Minister Gonzi insisted that withdrawing candidates had also been the MLP’s strategy in previous elections. Asked to mention which candidates had been withdrawn by the MLP and from which localities, Gonzi said: “You should ask Labour because only they know which candidates they suppressed so that elections were not held in Hal Safi and in certain localities in Gozo. The net effect was the same so I can’t understand why MLP can do certain things while the PN gets criticised for doing the same.”
Labour Secretary General Jason Micallef later explained when contacted that his party never withdrew its candidates.
Two of the three ‘missing’ candidates last week could not present their nominations as they were abroad while the other one “was not convinced in the end” to submit his nomination, he said.
When pressed, Gonzi later admitted during the press conference that Labour had not withdrawn its candidates but said that the MLP had not presented enough candidates to hold elections in certain localities.
“The point is that elections weren’t held in some localities before, that’s the crucial point,” he said.
He said the PN executive members and MPs were not informed of the withdrawal of the four candidates beforehand.
“You have a deadline and you take decisions minute by minute, depending on how the situation develops,” Gonzi said, making it clear that his party had waited for the Opposition to field all its candidates before withdrawing its own. “However after the nominations were closed the PN executive was informed of the decision related to the candidates’ withdrawal, and of the strategy the party will be adopting in the run-up to the local elections.”
Gonzi said the fact that no election was taking place in Zejtun did not mean that the PN was neglecting the south. He mentioned the waste recycling facility in Marsaskala as an example of massive government and EU investment for the people while Labour was only interested in halting the investment.
Asked what the party made of last June’s electoral defeat, Gonzi said he took the electorate’s message although his party always preferred taking the necessary decisions against popularity.
“We always try to persuade people what the necessary measures are and we launched an intensive process of social dialogue after the European Parliament elections,” Gonzi said.
Gonzi said he wanted to rope in local councils in its “political project” to get central government closer to the people.
“Our message applies to all localities,” Gonzi said. “Councils aren’t there just for local administration; we want them also to be in an intimate partnership with central government to create jobs, promote education and enhance the environment.”
karl@newsworksltd.com
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