[WATCH] New group Il-Kollettiv does not exclude contesting general election

New group Il-Kollettiv does not exclude contesting general election

New social activist group Il-Kollettiv is not excluding contesting the next general election “if circumstances are right”, its officials said on Thursday.

The group is fronted by veteran environmental and social campaigners Jeanette Borg as president, Wayne Flask as secretary and Matthew Borg as treasurer.

Il-Kollettiv received the endorsement of Labour MEP Cyrus Engerer on Thursday morning.

“We do not exclude transforming into a political party if circumstances permit and our target will be the next general election,” Flask said when asked whether the group had electoral ambitions.

“June is too close for us but we urge voters to vote for upstanding candidates who have the common good at heart, including independents,” he added.

The group promises to campaign for social justice, equality and the common good, offering an activist platform for resident groups and other NGOs.

“We have years of experience as activists and we can offer this experience to help empower communities to be more effective when standing up for their rights and the common good,” Flask said.

When asked whether this new group will increase fragmentation in an already crowded field, Flask insisted Il-Kollettiv’s work will complement that of other organisations such as Graffitti.

“Our work will complement the work being done by others and it is not our intention to compete for resources; our project is to empower residents to take action and offer a platform for collaboration,” Flask said.

Jeanette Borg said the growing disenchantment of people with politics as shown in several surveys is also a “yearning for change”.

“We believe in the victories of the past achieved by various activists and now we want to build on this legacy by fostering collaboration and solidarity,” she said.

She said the group will be working over the coming months to open its membership base and strengthen the internal structures.