Gonzi in light-hearted chat with children

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi was faced with the unusual task to answer questions by around fifty children at the Granaries in Floriana, as the PN kicked off its Independence celebrations.

With the questions ranging from political issues to others of the most personal nature, the PN leader together with his wife Kate spoke of his affinity with the Independence festivities and even his love for cats.

In the opening minutes, Gonzi said he was proud to participate in this annual event which precedes the official PN events commemorating Independence.

"Who knows what will happen of these children, maybe one of the girls or boys present will one day become Prime Minister," Gonzi said. As he asked who of the present would like to become Prime Minister, only one bold little boy dared raise his hand.

Gonzi told his audience the aim of politics is to make sure that children have a better future. In a touching moment, a little girl presented the Prime Minister with a picture of herself with the PN leader and a little hand-written note thanking him for his efforts.

Gonzi said moments like this are "golden" and encouraged young people to get involved in politics and dismissed the perception of politics as a dirty and boring job.

Interestingly, former Nationalist Party  secretary-general Joe Saliba could be seen lurking behind the scenes, taking down notes and giving orders to party officials and Gonzi aides, including his successor Paul Borg Olivier and the Prime Minister's communications director Gordon Pisani.

Asked by a little kid how the Prime Minister and his wife met, the two reminisced about their first encounter at the tenth anniversary Independence festivities, where Gonzi asked his future wife to dance.

The Prime Minister went on to explain how the two got married on 18 September of a few years later: "I am the only Prime Minister to celebrate my wedding anniversary with thousands of persons at the Granaries in Floriana, eating snails at the Hal Ghaxaq kiosk."

Saying that as a kid he never dreamt of being involved in politics, let alone become Prime Minister, Gonzi said: "Being Prime Minister is a special privilege, because you are firest chosen by the party then by the whole country to lead the country. Being Prime Minister has its difficult moments but it is the greatest honour to serve the country in this way," adding that he hoped that he will leave a positive legacy behind.

Asked how he deals with difficult decisions, Gonzi told the children that his toughest time as Prime Minister was the 2011 Libyan crisis, particularly when the two Libyan fighter jet pilots defected to Malta.

In a lighter moment, Gonzi said his favourite food is locally bred lamb and fish, particularly Mediterranean fish.

Gonzi said he recieved some 220 emails daily which he answers personally - in car while travelling or during his free time between appointments - pointing out that Kate often asks him to stop checking emails on holiday.

One of the toughest questions he was asked was whether he put his family or the country first. After a short pause, the Prime Minister said that his family "is the most precious thing." However he explained that by putting his family at the top of his priorities, the country automatically comes first because "whatever I wish for my family I wish for the country."

Kate Gonzi described how her husband has little time for the family but said that the two try to spend some time with their own children and nephews when on holiday, although the Prime Minister admitted that he finds it hard to ignore his job or the 200 emails he receives every day, when on holiday.

Talking about his love for animals and the sea, Gonzi said he misses going on fishing trips although he did say that recently he got the chance to go on a short trip on a fishing boat for an interview, only for the journalist to feel sea-sick and the trip had to be cut short.

In answer to one of the questions which came through the PN's social media tool, mychoice.pn, Gonzi said he was inspired by a number of politicians including John F. Kennedy and a Maltese politician who was a family-friend, Manuel Bonnici.

Asked what he would do if he had to choose another job, the Prime Minister said that his original profession as a lawyer would be the obvious choice, saying that "the legal profession gives me great satisfaction since it allows you to help people."

However, similarly to his predecessor, Eddie Fenech Adami, the Nationalist Party leader confessed his love for mechanical things, especially computer hardware.