WATCH | Alfred Zammit: ‘Labour Party shouldn’t take issue with internal criticism’

Valletta Vice-mayor Alfred Zammit believes the Labour Party needs to be more open to internal criticism as he speaks of a frosty relationship with fellow councillors.

As we sit down for this interview, Zammit tells me that he isn’t consulted and is sometimes kept in the dark about council meetings.

Zammit, a well-known TV personality, was Valletta mayor from 2019 to 2024. In last year’s council election though he was pipped to the top spot by newcomer Olaf McKay, an outcome that has left him with a bitter taste.

Zammit speaks about unnamed people within the Labour Party, who actively worked against him during the 2024 election campaign. He tells me this issue has since been addressed by the party’s administration, but to this day he doesn’t know who instructed voters to vote for other candidates.

But despite his grievances, Zammit clarifies he is still on good terms with the PL. He insists that the decision to move his popular TV programme Kalamita from ONE to Smash TV was purely commercial.

I ask Zammit about the rapid change the capital city has seen in recent years, having transformed from a purely retail destination that ‘died’ after 7pm, into an all-day and night haunt for shopping, eating and entertainment. This has led to a proliferation of on-street tables and chairs and elevated noise nuisance in the evenings.

Zammit explains that the problem with tables and chairs boils down to a lack of proper enforcement. But he pushes back against action to address issues such as noise, which he says would “kill the city”. He stresses that as a European capital city, one can expect a certain level of activity.

The following is an excerpt of the interview.

Follow the full interview on maltatoday.com.mt and our socials.

You’ve recently been in the news over a tender for the restoration of a church façade. The court ultimately decided against the Valletta local council when it decided to stop the tender. You didn’t mind going against the Labour mayor on the issue. Why were you so vocal about this matter?

I have nothing personal against the mayor, he is an old friend of mine. I’m against his decision. During a meeting I opened his eyes but he didn’t rely on my experience. I had warned him: ‘They’re going to corner you and put you with your back against the wall; this is the wrong decision.’ But he was hard-headed, and now the court agreed with what I, and the St Paul’s parish archpriest, were saying all along.

[…]

There is a clear court ruling that the local council should reverse its decision and uphold the original tender so that works can begin. I’ve held myself back from speaking about a number of things, such as those who testified incorrectly in this case. I won’t go into the conflicts of interest that existed.

[…]

If a storm hits the church, pieces of the façade will fall and people will get hurt…

Apart from this you were also vocal about other issues. What’s your relationship with the Valletta local council?

I have nothing against anyone personally, and I hope they have nothing personal against me, even though I’ve heard many things. My relationship with the local councillors isn’t nil; it’s less than that. I’m a vice-mayor and I’m never consulted by anyone… my relationship with them is what it is.

I attend the meetings when they tell me about them. Last week I stopped the local council meeting from happening because the law states that the local council needs everyone’s approval to meet… I wasn’t informed despite making it clear that I can only attend after 5:00pm because of my work…

Why do you think your relationship has soured this way?

It’s not with the whole council. I will always be a socialist but you have to speak up wherever there is wrongdoing. I met with the prime minister and Local Councils Minister Owen Bonnici. It was the prime minister who sent for me actually, and we spoke. I have no quarrel with the PL, let me be clear.

[…]

My fellow local councillors seem like they don’t want to work with me because in the beginning I made myself clear on a number of things. There were people who said I’m a bad loser because I wasn’t elected mayor. If you were to tell me to become mayor again, I wouldn’t think twice but three times. I have no intention of becoming mayor again but if this city calls me in a time of need I would see what I can do but I don’t even plan on running again. If, in the future, Valletta needs me, I’m loyal to the city…

As you’ve stated, you’ve seen Valletta transform over the years. People criticise some elements of this transformation. Tables and chairs everywhere you look; activity that goes on deep into the night. Do you think that there is a balance between the needs of residence and business?

I don’t want to always blame enforcement, but the problem was and apparently still is enforcement, although there were those who promised to solve these problems, and I hope they are.

What is Valletta? We need to understand that we are proud to live in Valletta because it’s our capital city. Today, the city isn’t only Malta’s capital city but it’s a European city that competes with other cities and it’s winning.

[…]

Valletta was never dead, it just used to go to sleep early. After 7:00pm, the city would be empty except for the rats and cockroaches… Now how will we control our success?

When the legal notice was introduced, it wasn’t up to the mayor. Government came up with the proposal and I agreed with it in the sense that it shouldn’t be that a tourist who wants to have a drink at 11:00pm can’t find a bar.

[…]

Valletta started getting back to its feet when Joseph Muscat’s government allowed tables to be placed outside… It should be noted that tables and chairs are good because government receives taxes…

But there are also instances where ambulances can’t get to patients…

You have to make room for public space. There should be signs placed on the pavement that indicate where tables and chairs are allowed so that enforcement officers can clearly see cases of abuse.

[…]

We shouldn’t think about the idea of making Valletta the way it was before. I prefer it how it is now but controlled. The law states that you can only play music until 11:00pm and that doesn’t mean you can have a concert. Between 11:00pm and 1:00am, the law states that only ‘moderate’ music can be played. I didn’t agree with the term ‘moderate’ because it gives rise to interpretation.

How’s your relationship with the PL and its leadership?

I’m still a member of the PL and until now I’m still a PL vice-mayor. My relationship with the councillors is nil but I often speak with the prime minister; he’s an old friend of mine.

[…]

My relationship with the PL’s leadership is good. The PL however needs to identify people like me who got hurt and speak to them. I appeal to the PL to never be irked by people within its ranks who criticise the party… parties grow when they listen to those who disagree with them.