The Malta Independent on Sunday
A referendum is the biggest civil right – Beppe Fenech Adami
The goal of PN Deputy Leader BEPPE FENECH ADAMI is for the PN to win the next general election in four years’ time. In an interview by Neil Camilleri, he also talks about the hunting referendum, which the PN does not support, and says that the party wants
Not supporting the hunters’ petition on ‘minority rights’, does not mean the Nationalist Party has severed its ties with them, according to PN Deputy Leader Beppe Fenech Adami. He said the party is trying to safeguard “the biggest” civil right – the right to hold a referendum.
In interview published today, Dr Fenech Adami says the party has always been in favour of regulated spring hunting. “Our position has been clear and consistent. We negotiated a derogation for spring hunting and we went to Brussels to fight for hunters’ rights when the EU opposed spring hunting.”
The current issue, however, is different. “The petition presented to Parliament claims to safeguard the rights of minorities. We are not supporting it because we can never deny people their biggest civil right. The public has a right to hold a referendum and decide on matters like spring hunting.”
Dr Fenech Adami said a referendum is the only tool available to the public that enables it to tell politicians what to do, instead of the other way round.
The PN Deputy Leader acknowledged that this move could cost the party the hunters’ vote but insists that political parties should not treat the issue as a vote-catching practice. “Joseph Muscat is wrongly taking popular decisions. He will gain some victories in the short-term but this will not last forever.”
Dr Fenech Adami also speaks about the PN’s relevance, party finances, the need to restructure the PN media, the decriminalisation of drugs and abortion, which he says will undoubtedly be an issue in the coming years.
“My goal is for the PN to win the general election in four years’ time. If it doesn’t happen, I will still be able to say to myself that I worked hard for my party to win,” says Beppe Fenech Adami, the PN’s Deputy Leader for Party Affairs. “At the end of the day, it is up to the electorate to decide and we have to bow our heads to that decision, but I can say up front that I am working hard for the PN to win the next one.”
In an interview barely two weeks after the EP election result, the PN Deputy Leader says he is not happy with the progress registered so far. “I am absolutely not happy with the result. The third seat gave us some satisfaction but it was certainly not a draw. It may have been in the number of seats but certainly not as an overall result. We tried to narrow the gap by far more than the actual result.”
Soon after the election result was known, PN Leader Simon Busuttil said that the party needs to keep changing. His message echoed the one from Lawrence Gonzi following the 2013 general election, another big defeat for the Nationalists. So how will the PN actually change? “I would not say we need to change but rather that we need to keep changing. We need to keep evolving. The biggest challenge for the PN is to become relevant again and meet people’s aspirations. Society is constantly changing and we need to keep in line with those aspirations, as far as possible.”
When asked if the PN will have to become more liberal, Dr Fenech Adami said today’s society has changed in the past 10 years and “what was valid yesterday will not necessarily be valid tomorrow,” but the term ‘liberal’ should not be abused.
The PN might be going through a “natural phase” in which it does not actually have a cause, as it did 10 years ago with EU membership. But, according to Dr Fenech Adami, the next election will not be fought over a cause. “Politicians today have to speak about bread-andbutter issues. I have no doubt that the issues that were important in the last general election, such as work, the economy, education and health, will also be the main issues for the next election. It will be a question of who can do better in these sectors.”
PN needs new faces, together with the old
Dr Fenech Adami admitted that there is a “core” within the party that believes the old faces should make way for new ones. “I am not one to throw people away to satisfy the whims of others and I will not get rid of someone who has always served the party well unless there is a valid reason for doing so.” He said the Labour Party was proof that the old and the new can work together. “The PL managed to introduce new faces while retaining the old guard. They also managed to bring back people who had left the party years ago.”
The PN Deputy Leader defended Paul Borg Olivier’s presence at the counting hall, which raised many eyebrows from within the PN camp. “Paul Borg Olivier shouldered full responsibility for the disastrous result of 2013 and resigned soon after. But this does not mean that he should not give a helping hand in the counting hall. Paul is experienced in this kind of work and I can assure everyone that his input in the counting hall was of a purely technical nature. He has already paid the political price and he should not be treated as if he has the plague.”
PN media facing credibility problem
The PN media also needs a radical overhaul, said Dr Fenech Adami, agreeing that news programmes and radio talk shows could still be taking a far too negative approach. “If political transfers and out-of-stock medicines are still the order of the day they should be reported and debated, but our media does face a considerable credibility and consistency problem.”
The party also needs to work on its own image. “Labour had a better image whereas ours was simpler. This was, in part, dictated by our financial challenges. The PL has the luxury of selling its product in attractive wrapping but, at the end of the day, the wrapper will become less important and people will judge politicians on substance.”
Financial situation has improved
The Nationalist Party’s financial situation has improved, yet remains difficult, according to Dr Fenech Adami, who says that the running expenditure is in check. “For every euro we spend we make another euro, maybe a bit more. There are still debts from the past but the situation has improved.”
When asked about rumours that the PN’s media is going through another round of restructuring measures, Dr Fenech Adami insisted that the restructuring of the media is an ongoing process. “We are trying to improve the situation without moving people around but naturally there will be some consequences.” Regarding speculation that the PN media’s head of news had been asked to step down, the PN Deputy Leader said he is not in position to discuss such matters.
So who is to blame for the party’s dire financial situation? “I cannot put the blame on any one person. These are the consequences of being in government for 25 years and prove that the PN was not corrupt and did not take advantage of the situation.”
Dr Fenech Adami did not deny that the party owes money to Keith Schembri and Silvio Scerri – who are Chiefs of Staff at the Office of the Prime Minister and the Home Affairs Ministry respectively – but denied that the party is being blackmailed by the two individuals. “Anyone can see that they are not holding us at gunpoint.”
When asked how much the EP campaign had cost – reportedly around €70,000 – Dr Fenech Adami said that the actual sum is still being calculated but the campaign had not cost much.
Abortion will be an issue soon
Turning to the subject of abortion, Beppe Fenech Adami said he is quite convinced the issue will come up again soon enough. “It will become an issue in the coming years and people will start using the same old arguments. The PN is absolutely against abortion, at any stage, and will not change its position to avoid losing votes.” A compromise can be found on most issues, he said, but when it comes to fundamental issues such as abortion, the PN will
stand firm. “I would prefer seeing the party suffer in terms of votes because it stood firm against abortion rather than the other way round.”
PN not severing ties with the hunters
Despite claiming to have always been in favour of hunting, the Nationalist Party will not support a petition started by the Hunters’ Federation to safeguard “the rights of minorities” against referenda. According to Dr Fenech Adami, this does not signal a rift with hunters. “We have always stood up for hunters’ rights and we are still in favour of controlled spring hunting. The issue this time is different. This petition is calling for the safeguarding of minorities.
As much as I am in favour of spring hunting, I am also in favour of the right to a referendum. This is the greatest civil right. It is the only chance people have of telling us what we should do, instead of the other way around. It is a democratic tool that we are not willing to take away. If we remove the right to a referendum on the premise that we are jeopardising the rights of minorities, I think we would be abusing the concept of minority rights.”
Decriminalisation of drugs
On the subject of the decriminalisation of drugs, Beppe Fenech Adami believes that the argument has started off on the wrong premise that those who get caught in simple possession of drugs go to jail “This is not the case and we should not mislead people. But yes, we should take things further. We should distinguish between the pusher and the victim. Anyone could be caught using drugs. It could be anyone’s son or daughter, but should we take them to court and shame them, or should we help them and take it upon ourselves to save our children from drugs?”
Dr Fenech Adami said the state should find a balance. It should not send out a message that using drugs is OK. But neither should it treat those caught smoking a joint like criminals. “On the other hand our message to drug traffickers is clear: we want a zero tolerance policy.”
I never handed in resignation over Civil Unions Bill
Asked about the frequent claims of a liberal/conservative divide within the PN, Beppe Fenech Adami says he welcomes the divergence of thoughts and opinions. “I think we are the only party to have had lengthy and lively debates on the civil unions’ issue. PL MPs have told me that they disagree entirely with civil unions but the issue was not discussed and they could not make their voices heard.”
When asked about speculation that he and PN MP Claudio Grech threatened to resign, had the party supported civil unions (including gay adoptions) Dr Fenech Adami said that he and Mr Grech had never submitted their resignations. He was also asked about rumours that Mario de Marco had handed in his resignation to Simon Busuttil after the vote, and that it had been rejected. “I am not aware that Mario handed in his resignation. This is absolutely not true.”
But has the “difference of opinions” within the party cost it the youth vote? “I understand that young people probably expect more from us and I apologise if we gave them less than they expected. But I want to put their minds at rest that we take our decisions genuinely. The biggest mistake we could make would be to opt for popular politics. I will resist that. Having said that, I do appreciate that young people expect clearer messages from the PN and I pledge the party’s commitment to becoming one that is relevant to them.”
As much as I am in favour of spring hunting, I am also in favour of the right to a referendum. This is the greatest civil right. It is the only chance people have of telling us what we should do, instead of the other way around