Q&A | Time to revolutionise | David Farrugia Sacco

What is your background?

I would say that I come from an extremely varied background that saw me mix with several people since a young age. Mostly due to my keen interest in sports, I had the opportunity to make several friends from all walks of life.

Throughout my adolescent years I had several learning experiences - the privileged tennis groups, the roughness at playing football at the Sliema and Hamrun Nurseries, the varied athletics circle, the social water polo at Exiles, badminton, table tennis and so on. During my University years this variety grew even larger and I was involved in several student organisations that led me on to several experiences. I got involved into committees and this is probably from where it all started.

How did you get involved in politics?

Joseph Muscat invited me for a chat and, from the very beginning he left me with an inspiring impression. I could clearly see that he was interested in substance rather than pomp and that he has a number of ideas that he genuinely believes in. I am very much on his wavelength when discussing diversity and social rights. I totally agree with him that we live on an island that belongs to everybody and there should be no such thing as 'the privileged few'. Following a number of meetings, which I admit took some time, I accepted the invitation and I have never looked back.

Why Labour?

For starters, I have always voted Labour so it was not a difficult choice although I admit that I do have some Nationalist beliefs. I also have many Nationalist friends and many Nationalist clients - but this has allowed me to see in a clear manner and understand what the good of the PN is all about and what the short falls of the PL consist of. I think that the PL has improved tremendously in the last years and this is mainly due to the decisions Joseph Muscat has taken to promote the attractiveness of the Labour. In the years to come, our party must reach out to an even larger section of professionals and particular parts of the island by persuading individuals that we are a complete party representing all aspects of society with an emphasis on every working individual and their families.

What will you bring to the table?

My contribution can be in two totally different fields. I think that my sporting background and in particular the experience I gained in the administrative field in sports makes me very well read in the requirements that are needed to create a road map and pursue such when identifying the future of sports in Malta. I was president of Hamrun Spartans FC. During my time in snooker and billiards and the Malta Tennis Federation I gained international exposure and now feel that I am well groomed.

I can also contribute actively in the much needed court reforms that the PL has launched. The people, rightly so, grumble that our judicial system is disorganized with endless delays. As a practicing lawyer I know for a fact that you cannot have 42 members of the judiciary with 42 different methods of hearing and adjourning cases in 22 chambers - saying it alone spells it all out!

If elected, what will you be pushing for?

I think that there is need of a revamped legal system, a total revolution in the case of building, planning and the environment, a health system that offers a service within an adequate timeframe, and the proper use of a number of gems that have been left to rot, such as Fort St. Elmo, the White Rocks complex, Manoel Island and so on.

Do you agree that the judiciary and law courts are in need of urgent reform, and which aspects merit special attention?

The judiciary must be provided with working staff, a lawyer to assist in research, a trained deputy registrar, and good computer networks. All documents should be immediately scanned and accessed by the legal counsels online. District sittings should be held three times a week with no more than eight cases per hour and individuals should be asked to appear at different times to avoid having people waste their days in court.

Doctors ought to submit affidavits and appear once for a cross examination if there arises the need. Civil cases ought to have the plaintiff submit affidavits when filing the case and conclude all submissions within two sittings, whereby the defendant is to likewise submit affidavits within a period of around seven weeks and have a further two sittings to cross examine and submit all evidence.

I also think that in the case of the Family Court, there is the need that persons getting married ought to be obliged to jointly sign a declaration of their paraphernal property to avoid long riffs as to whose uncle painted the kitchen and whose father lent them the money. Applications for maintenance ought to be submitted not more than once every six months and the care and custody ought to be spelt ought in the law so as to avoid the trauma that children go through because of bickering parents.

Labour says it will remove the statute of limitations on cases of political corruption: should a new Labour government reopen unsolved investigations on political corruption from the 1980s as well?

I am pretty sure that nobody would defend any person of whatever party or era they belong to if there is concrete proof that such a person is guilty of an offence. What people want is clear facts that show that the individual is guilty beyond reasonable doubt - which is the standard required for some one to be found guilty by a criminal court. Naturally, this does not mean beyond any doubt whatsoever - but it is neither the circumstantial evidence that we hear about today whereby several eyebrows are raised. We are all governed by the rule of law and we all enjoy our fundamental human rights - but politicians have a moral duty to pursue illegalities and even more especially to give the people the truth they deserve to know.

Should the Office of the Attorney General be separate from a public prosecutor's office to ensure more independence in prosecutions?

The Attorney General performs a million and one functions. This is by far too difficult for this office. I think that we will eventually move towards an Italian system whereby you will have the Public Prosecutor's Office concentrating on court work whilst the Attorney General shall focus on his advisory and consultative role. The need for a more independent prosecution has been felt for a long time.

Labour prides itself of being on the 'right side of history' when Joseph Muscat supported divorce. If he does not oppose gay adoptions, shouldn't a new Labour government also support such adoptions or IVF rights if it supports civil partnerships for gay couples?

I think that we might all be jumping to conclusions. As a country there was a big section of society that opposed divorce and this must not be simply ignored. I personally believe in divorce but I have never really thought or read in depth about adoption by gay persons or IVF rights related thereto. I think that this should not be a political issue dictated by partisan politics and neither should it be a religious issue. This is a matter whereby the state ought to put its best resources to legislate in favour of our nation.

You are very active in the sports arena and in the Premier Division: what would you like to see a new government do to improve the lot of sporting organizations?

I think that the time has come to revolutionise sports in Malta and this can be done through a very specific piece of legislation that would provide for the private sector investing in sport. I hate to see people use sports for their own financial benefit under the disguise that they are doing it for the love of the game. On the other hand, I see the way forward as being an open and transparent system whereby there is a professional set up with people investing time and money and rightly so expecting a profit in return. The government must legislate in order to avoid companies using investment in sport to hide illicit income and abusive practice.

I think that football clubs could be easily privatized and I think that there would be more accountability and transparency in the game. The MFA administration is working tremendously hard to improve the organisation and set up and have achieved this but the standard will only improve if more money is injected.