Justin Schembri does not exclude Secretary General bid
Nationalist Party eighth district candidate Justin Schembri did not exclude his interest in the role of general secretary when asked by The Malta Independent.
The party’s executive arm resigned after the PN’s second electoral defeat running, leaving the posts of PN leader, two deputy leaders and the role of general secretary up for grabs.
When asked whether he could confirm whether he intends contesting the role of general secretary, Schembri said:
“I am being approached and encouraged by several PN activists to take up an administrative position within the party, with the role most commonly mentioned as that of general secretary.
“While I do not exclude my interest for the role, I am not in a position to take a decision on whether I will take part in the administrative duties of the party before discussing with the new party leader. I would like to thank all those who believe in me”.
Schembri is a 35-year-old secondary school teacher who was previously assistant to the Malta Union of Teachers secretary. While serving under the MUT, Schembri was also the chairperson of the MUT youth committee. He is married with a five-year-old daughter.
He also has two publications under his belt in the form of short stories, called Frekwenzi Hiemda and Frekwenzi Msikkta. Currently, Schembri is sitting for a Higher Diploma in politics at the University of Malta.
He contested the general election on the PN ticket on the eighth district, which includes Balzan, Birkirkara, Fleur-de-lys, Swatar, Iklin and Lija. Schembri did not manage to get the required quota to be elected to Parliament, having garnered 920 votes in total.
Asked about who his ‘dream team’ for the PN executive would be, Schembri said:
“There are a number of qualified people who can occupy the highest roles within the PN. I believe that whoever takes up the posts must have genuine ‘nationalist’ values, and is also able to recognise changes and exigencies in today’s society in order to meet those needs while also anticipating the required politics for future generations.
“I obviously have my own personal preferences but I acknowledge that the choice is not dependent on me but includes all those involved in the decision making process”.
Some days ago, PN MEP David Casa announced that he wanted to contest as general secretary for the party in comments given to The Times of Malta.
He went on to say that he would wait until a new party leader is elected to confirm his decision.
Casa featured prominently on Net TV, the PN’s media, throughout the election campaign through regular spots on current affairs programmes. He has been active within the party since the 1980s.
Schembri has also been given some coverage, having gone head-to-head with Education Minister Evarist Bartolo on television back in October 2016.