‘If you don’t vote, you get Cassola’, Gonzi warns hunters
David Darmanin
Lawrence Gonzi warned hunters last week that abstaining from voting for the European Parliament elections on June 6 would get Alternattiva Demokratika candidate Arnold Cassola elected.
In a bid to dissuade hunters from not voting, Gonzi argued that their failure to vote could lead to getting Cassola elected and exhorted hunters not to let this happen because the sixth seat was hanging in the balance.
At a private meeting held by the prime minister and MEP candidate Alex Perici Calascione with hunters last week, Gonzi concluded his speech by resorting to scaremongering tactics to leverage votes from his disillusioned audience.
“Over the past five years, I believe this is the first opportunity I had to explain what I have been doing with regard to the hunting issue,” the PM said, referring to the case Malta is defending in the European Court of Justice to retain spring hunting.
“So far I have always done what I believed was best without blowing my trumpet. I have been fighting for the past five years but I am still being called a traitor. I am telling you to be careful because the EU has its eyes on us and the battle needs to go on. What happens on 6 June may still have an effect on this issue because although we will be choosing five MEPs, there may be a sixth one later – so be careful, be careful.”
At that, Gonzi got stuck half-way through a sentence to avoid mentioning Cassola by name: “If the sixth one is…”
In an audio recording of the speech, hunters are heard encouraging Gonzi by saying: “Go on, go on… don’t be scared, mention him…”
“I am being careful because everyone is entitled to make his own choices,” Gonzi told them.
“But if people out there feel they should abstain, if anyone faces the coming elections by saying ‘I’m not voting, they can get lost’ – that could mean the sixth seat would be given to a candidate elected from another party which is neither PN nor Labour, so watch out for those trying to mislead you,” he said, clearly referring to Labour.
“I have never walked hand in hand with any other party,” he charged. “And AD has never walked hand in hand with me – although it seems to be walking hand in hand with another party. But not with me. In the run-up to last year’s general elections I believe I was clear enough when, on Bondiplus I told Alternattiva they have nothing to do with me and that they stand no chance of forming a coalition with me.
“So tell your friends,” Gonzi continued, “that on June 6 we’re choosing five MEPs – but if the Lisbon treaty is approved, Malta will get the sixth seat, and this will be given to the candidate left hanging. And do you know who was left hanging five years ago? It was you who mentioned him, not me: Cassola was left hanging. The vote is yours. You decide.”
Gonzi’s address was lifted from the recording of the Perici Calascione meeting, from which Labour leader Joseph Muscat was accused of selectively misquoting the candidate’s comments on Eddie Fenech Adami’s promises to hunting prior to the EU referendum.
Any comments?
If you wish your comments to be published in our Letters pages please click button below. Please write a contact number and a postal address where you may be contacted.
Search:
MALTATODAY
BUSINESSTODAY
Download MaltaToday Sunday issue front page in pdf file format
All the interviews from Reporter on MaltaToday's YouTube channel.
