Chris Fearne does not exclude future leadership bid

Health minister Chris Fearne did not exclude a future bid for the role of Labour Party leader once Prime Minister Joseph Muscat steps down as leader when asked during a deputy leadership debate on ONE TV.  

Fearne is running for the role of deputy leader for parliamentary affairs along with EU Affairs and Equality minister Helena Dalli, and Finance minister Edward Scicluna.

During the debate, all three candidates were asked whether they would be interested in leading the party once Prime Minister Joseph Muscat stepped down as leader, something he has said he would do before the next general election.

Scicluna stressed that the role of deputy leader was one which required the winner to complement the Prime Minister, rather than compete with him, while insisting that he was not interested in the role.

“You can present ideas, but it ultimately must be the Prime Minster that decides on the way forward,” said Scicluna.

He added however that the chosen candidate must be competent and able to take on the responsibility if called upon, as he had done on numerous occasions, such as the Prime Minister’s recent grilling on the rule of law in Malta, where he had helped Muscat prepare for the election.

The finance minister also insisted he was not interested in being a European Commissioner, adding however that the fact that he was also being linked with the role showed he had the necessary credentials to occupy the role.

Similarly, Dalli said that she was not “interested in any other role”, and said that if chosen, she would continue working to make Malta first in Europe and the World.

“The Prime Minister took me with him to clear Malta’s name when we faced the PANA committee,” said Dalli, adding that she had also been entrusted with holding talks with Michel Barnier – the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator.   

Fearne however stressed his loyalty towards Muscat, and seemed to leave the door open to a bid, if and when the Prime Minister steps down as party leader.

“I have absolute loyalty towards the Labour Party and Joseph Muscat,” said Fearne when asked.

He said that he was determined to continue helping the party and that his aspirations were to “see the party continue to win, together with Joseph Muscat“.

“Together with Joseph I want us to continue building a new Malta, with renewed energy” continued Fearne. “I believe that Joseph Muscat is the best leader the Labour Party can have in the coming years.”

The debate saw three journalists – Josef Caruana from l-Orizzont, Miriam Dalli from MaltaToday and Mario Micallef from TVM – quiz the three ministers of various topics of relevance to the contested role.

The role of party delegates

During her campaign, Dalli has emphasised the need for party delegates to be better informed about the government’s work. Asked to quantify this statement, the minister explained that there was an important link between the delegates and parliamentary work since any party elected to government, is elected on the basis of its manifesto.

“It becomes the policy of the government, and the basis of the laws passed during the legislature, but we forget that that manifesto belongs to the delegates,” said Dalli.

She stressed that her experience in parliament as well as the party, together with her academic background in the social sciences would serve her well if she were to be elected.

“I started from the bottom and went up all the steps, so I understand the delegates well because I was in their shoes, without ever having taken a break,” said Dalli. “The Labour Party has been a constant in my life.”

Turning to parliament, Dalli said she had 21 years-experience on both the government and opposition benches, adding that this would give her the ability to “see certain maneuver” in parliament before others.

She added that while there was a need to be democratic, the government also needed to be firm with Opposition

Never faced serious allegations

Fearne had previously stated that over the course of his political career, he had never faced any serious allegations. When asked about the statement, as well as what his relationship with minister Konrad Mizzi would be like if he were to be deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, Fearne insisted that the Labour cabinet was united like no cabinet before it, and that he had an excellent relationship with all its members, including Mizzi.

The same could not be said of the Nationalist Party parliamentary group, he said. 

Fearne insisted that as a surgeon he had always been able to take life-or-death decisions, a trait that was also essential to a career in politics. In addition to taking important decisions, he said the role of deputy required on to be close to the people to find individual solutions to their problems.

He said that by basing its actions on results and remaining close to the people, the Labour Party could remain in parliament for another 20 years.

Labour Party outsider

Scicluna was asked by Caruana about the fact that he was, to a certain extent, an outsider within the Labour Party, however the finance minister was quick to point out that many party veterans would not agree with that assessment.

He insisted that while it is true that he had always worked behind the scenes, he had in fact worked closely with all Labour Prime Ministers, including Dom Mintoff and Alfred Sant.

He said that as a socialist, he had always been involved in setting up of different programs and institutions to the benefit of Maltese workers.

Turning to his relationship with Musact, Scicluna insisted that in the Prime Minister, he saw someone who’s thoughts he understood and could relate to completely.

“I saw this in our leaders’ words the moment he decided to run for party leader,” said Scicluna.

Asked about his claim that he had been unsure about whether to contest the last general election, Scicluna said that he was satisfied with his professional achievements and had opted for a role in front-lines of politics in order to serve and “to help the party strengthen itself”.

He said despite the good work of the last legislature, which included a fiscal surplus, he had still felt the need to ask the Prime Minister whether he wanted him to run, because he motivation was ultimately that of serving the party and the country.

Parliamentary reforms

Fearne said that parliament needed to be reformed for it to be more conducive with a broader participation, especially by women. Moreover, he said the voting age should go down to 16 during the next legislature, while also emphasising the need for constitutional changes on the environment and good governance.

Dalli too insisted that parliament needed to become more “family-friendly”, something she said was important for both men and women. 

Moreover, she said she had already had discussions with Speaker Anglu Farrugia on how this could be achieved, including the setting up of childcare facilities.

Dalli went on to describe female quotas as a necessary evil, pointing out that the vast majority of countries with adequate female representation in politics had at some point made use of quotas.

On full-time MPs Dalli said opinion was divided. On the one hand, she said she could understand the argument that more time would mean that MPs are able to be more effective in their work. On the other hand, she said there were also those who are quick to point out that MPs being remaining connected to their professional network also had its benefits.

Having worked at the European Parliament and seen how effective the system worked, Scicluna said it made perfect sense for the country’s parliamentarians to shift to a full-time role, adding that there were many other ways in which parliament could be changed for the better.