Seven political parties have their say on TVM

If you tuned in to tonight’s debate organised by the Broadcasting Authority you may have been left scratching your head as to what was exactly debated. Seven candidates representing the seven parties contesting the European Parliament elections were given a total of eight minutes each to deliver their message.

And while one would have expected the candidates to speak about their proposals, the discussion focused on why the electorate should not vote for the PN and PL – with the minor parties telling viewers that the two major political parties have taken the public for a ride.

The most vociferous of all was none other than the Partit tal-Ajkla’s Nazzareno Bonnici who let out a barrage of cricitism against both parties. To his credit, he also questioned Imeprium Europa’s Norman Lowell over his “fixation” with irregular migrants.

“On one hand there is the PN which couldn’t even govern during its last months in government while its workers spent months without being paid,” Bonnici said. “Then there is the Labour Party who is now taking the public for a ride.”

Bonnici also appears to have taken umbrage at Joseph Muscat’s reference to the ‘soldiers of steel’, who according to Bonnici “belonged” to former Labour Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.

According to the sole candidate of the Partit tal-Ajkla, nothing has changed despite a change in government. “Corruption is rampant with people paying MEPA officials to get what they need,” he alleged.

Urging the electorate to vote for his party, Bonnici took the opportunity to criticise Labour’s ONE TV for not having invited the minority parties to take part in TV programmes and debates.

“Did we do something wrong? Because I remember last year you [ONE TV] kept inviting me to your programmes to make a show,” Bonnici said.

He also reserved a comment for Alternattiva Demokratika as he urged them “to pack up and leave” for their failure to be elected.

The Labour and Nationalist Parties were represented by Clint Camilleri and Jonathan Shaw respectively who, as expected, stuck to the parties’ script.

Shaw reminded how the Labour Party had opposed Malta’s accession to the EU and how promises of meritocracy and Malta Taghna Lkoll were thrown out of the window.

“They seem to have lost the roadmap somewhere along the way. Labour’s probation period is over and people can see that Health is one of its weakest department and no direction has been offered for the public transport. These elections are your opportunity to express your dissatisfaction with the country’s leadership,” Shaw said.

Right on cue, Camilleri reiterated the Labour government was delivering on its promises and attracting investment.

“People are seeing the change they voted for. We have kept our promises and today we have free childcare centres, breakfast clubs and employment is on the rise.”

Camilleri added that the government was implementing measures to address problems within the health sector. He also pointed out that a vote for the Labour candidates would mean a vote for the European Commission president candidate Martin Schulz who had a plan to tackle the irregular migration issue.

Focusing on EU issues, Alternattiva Demokratika’s deputy chairman and candidate Carmel Cacopardo said Members of the European Parliament were given more powers to scrutinise the EU institutions. “Accountability and transparency should be the priority of any elected candidate while never forgetting the values and principles they uphold,” he said.

Cacopardo also insisted that decisions on irregular migration were being held back by individual member states: “Claiming that Martin Schulz or Jean Claude Juncker [EPP candidate] will solve the issue is a joke because it is the EPP and Socialists themselves who are holding back these decisions.”

Irregular migration was also Imperium Europa’s Norman Lowell favourite topic where – once again – he claimed that he had the solution. He also said that as a party, Imperium Europa wanted to change Europe into a “new Europe” leading to “organic regions”.

“We are the solution and we, of Imperium Europa, are going to change this Schulz Europe into a new Europe. We will save Europe.”

The other two speakers were Ivan Grech Mintoff from Alleanza Bidla and Jean Pierre Sammut from Alleanza Liberali.

Grech Mintoff said the PN and PL were holding back from discussing EU issues, focusing their debates on how one party was better than the other.

Insisting that the party he represented was an alliance of Nationalists and Labourites, Grech Mintoff said Malta was being led by federalist parties and it is time for the people to fight back.

“Eurosceptics are not given a voice, and we are those who represent Eurosceptics,” Grech Mintoff said as he called for Malta “to regain its full sovereignty”.

On his part, Jean Pierre Sammut insisted that the parties were not telling the electorate the full truth: “The European Parliament is shaped as a semi-circle. There are more parties and you should vote to elect six of us, one for every party, to at least have a Maltese MEP represented in six of the eight political parties.”