Marlene Farrugia on PN coalition: Environment and transparency non-negotiable

Former Labour MP and leader of the Democratic Party Marlene Farrugia is open to forming a coalition with the Nationalist Party, but in a warning to Simon Busuttil, has insisted that the party is not willing to compromise on several core issues, including the environment, transparency, and social justice.

Speaking to Sunday newspaper Illum and The Sunday Times of Malta, Farrugia, who this week was officially elected as the first leader of the Democratic Party, said the party was open to forming a coalition with the Nationalist Party to form a united coalition against corruption, arguing, however, that “the PN needs to star fresh.”

“The PN first needs to cleanse itself and shed those people who embarrassed it in the past before being able to unite with other opposition parties to present themselves as an alternative government," Farrugia said.

And in a warning to Simon Busuttil of the nature of the discussions that could follow, Farrugia said the Democratic Party would not compromise on environmental issues and national heritage, transparency, good governance, and social justice.

Asked whether there was any proof to substantiate the Opposition’s claims of corruption in the government’s contract with Vitals Global Healthcare, the company given a 30-year concession to run three hospitals in Malta and Gozo, Farrugia said the lack of transparency fuelled suspicions.

“I recently spoke to [minister] Konrad Mizzi and told him that the government’s main problem was that it did not publish everything. When a contract is not published in full, it is natural for there to be suspicions of corruption,” she said.

Meanwhile, Farrugia also said that the party’s doors were open for everyone, including her partner, Labour Whip Godfrey Farrugia as they are “open to anyone who feels the need for a change.”

“When I spoke to him last, he was still the loyal Whip of the Labour Party … There is no reason why Godfrey should not agree with out policy, because the three pillars of our party – clean and transparent governance, social justice and sustainability of the economy through proper care of the environment – are what the Labour Party was trumpeting before the election, but it discarded them right after obtaining power,” Farrugia said.