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Secretary-general of Alternattiva Demokratika Stephen Cachia says people are eager to send a message to a government that is showing an uncaring face 
Stephen Cachia’s involvement in Third World Group and human rights movements, and to some measure his appearance, add a somewhat Jesuitical tinge to Alternattiva Demokratika. Cachia is perceived as a man of strong, if somewhat conservative, ethics and a calming force within the party. Alternattiva’s showing at the European Parliamentary election is perceived as a high point in the party’s history and one which, it is already being suggested, will be hard to repeat.
This time round AD’s Secretary General says he will be disappointed if his party does not elect a candidate. Three years ago AD did not elect any candidates in the districts being contested in one week’s time and Stephen Cachia has set a benchmark of improving on that result. AD will have to attract more than 5.7 per cent of the vote in the districts it is contesting to leave Cachia a happy man, but he wants at least one of his team elected.
The Greens’ critics point to what they perceive as a lull in the party’s effort following the excellent nine per cent showing for Arnold Cassola who just missed making it to Brussels as an MEP.
Cachia does not dispute there has been a lull, but believes that his party has not let down its voters: “I disagree with that perception. After such a strong campaign it was only natural for people to take a break. AD has been trying to build on the success in the elections internally by trying to harness the large number of volunteers that have offered their services.
“We are building up structures to use that energy. Our efforts have not been totally successful but in some areas we have a number of new people giving their important contributions and again these are all volunteers.
“We have now picked up our rhythm for the local elections and we have been receiving very positive feedback from the electorate.”
One of the obvious ideas that might have occurred to the AD leadership would have been a massive membership drive to get its new voters to join the Green family, but this never happened: “There was no membership drive. A number of new people joined and we had many new volunteers in the run-up to the European MEP elections, but there is much more to be done to attract new membership.”
AD has struggled over the years to attract new public faces but Stephen Cachia points to one person who is making an difference: “Edward Fenech is making an impact with his valuable input on our economic policies and that was one sector we needed a higher profile. There are also a number of people that have joined and are active, doing important work behind the scenes, but because of their employment they cannot be active publicly. AD has limited financial resources, but its human resources are rich through its volunteers, who, as I said cannot always be present.”
AD has had some success at the local level in the past and has four elected members currently, with an all time high of seven pre-1996. Cachia explains why people should vote AD: “Our record in local councils is a major asset. Our councillors have shown through their work that they are capable of standing for residents’ rights even when the going is tough.
“Two examples of this can be seen currently at Birkirkara and Sliema where our councillors, Mario Mallia and Mike Briguglio are sticking up for residents against the unpopular proposals to have a garage complex in Birkirkara, and a massive car park in Qui-si-Sana.
“AD stands for a better quality of life and an improved environment and I believe that at these elections people want to stand up and send a message to an arrogant government, a Nationalist Party which in its attempts to look decisive is trampling over people’s rights.
Stephen Cachia, recently appointed acting headmaster of the area secondary school at Cottonera has some strong words about the new PN track record.
“There are aspects of the Gonzi administration I find positive. I believe Lawrence Gonzi is sincere – he is doing what he thinks is best for the country, but unfortunately he has become a slave of this perception that he is not a man to take decisions, an issue that featured strongly in the PN leadership election campaign. That has come to mean taking decisions even if it means bulldozing over people. Decisions hastily taken without preparation.
“Some good decisions have been ruined because of this and eco-taxation is a good example, where both the manner of its introduction and its blanket nature – with little differentiation between environment friendly and unfriendly products – have given eco-tax a bad name.”
Cachia feels the Nationalist Party has also been hypocritical and cites as an example its prior criticism of AD over its supposed plans proposing an eco-tax on tourism and one year later introducing eco-taxes itself. “The Nationalist Party has become a victim of its own spin.”
The Malta Labour Party continually claims greater success at the local level, but Cachia does not believe that this means people should necessarily vote Labour.
“We are appealing to people to vote for AD local councillors because we have a proven track record, but we also appeal to people to vote for the candidates who would best serve their localities. It is also possible to vote across party lines as well as for independents and this is one of the good points of an electoral system which is so unfair in other ways.
“AD has worked very well with other councillors in the councils where it is elected and our councillors have been catalysts for positive synergy between the three parties.”
Turning to the Labour Party’s record over the past year Cachia has this to say: “On a national level, Labour has improved, if superficially, with its better performance on the media. But the Labour Party is still a party that is opposing too much. It should put forward its proposals as an alternative to government’s. If I was in the MLP I would push for it to make its ideas and proposals known. That kind of opposition has worked well for AD. While it is our role to say what is wrong, it is important to show that one has alternatives and it is also important to be able to say that the party in government is right, when it is so.”
AD still has difficulties presenting candidates in all electoral districts: “It is not easy for potential candidates to be associated with any party especially with a small party that is in opposition and has little chance of being in government soon. But more and more people are coming forward, we have two more this time round in these localities, we have three more than we had last year on other districts when we only had three and this time round six, and in St Julian’s we even had two people willing to contest.”
Stephen Cachia is cautiously optimistic of his party’s chances, at least on a local level. The national elections, many are saying, will be another matter, but as Stephen Cachia points out “they are still a long way away.”
“Some of our voters will definitely go back to their traditional parties and some PN voters may be once again, scared of Labour, but I am surprised at the number of people who I thought might switch back to PN but have had it up to their necks with the party and are telling us they will vote for AD even at a general elections.
“There are a number of people who want a change in Maltese politics and would like to see one AD candidate elected. Last time around many people voted for the EU more than for the PN and in three years time people will feel freer to vote.”
Stephen Cachia was talking to Julian Manduca
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