Interview • February 29 2004

A noble Labourite
John Attard Montalto admits he was only interested in change rather than the post of MLP leader when he contested last year. Here he talks about his MEP campaign, George Abela and the jungles of Guatemala

The name George Abela is still a thorny issue for the Labour Party, I discover when interviewing former Labour minister responsible for industry Dr John Attard Montalto.
Rumour has it that if Attard Montalto is elected to the European Parliament his seat in the national parliament would be filled by co-option rather than casual election. The allegations also state that Attard Montalto is insisting that his vacated seat be given to former deputy leader George Abela.
Attard Montalto smiles at the question, but his reply is replete with carefully chosen words.
“A lot of rumours are making the rounds about the possibility of a co-option if I get elected to the European Parliament. It is far too early to give credibility to these allegations.”
I am not satisfied with the reply and ask Attard Montalto about his relationship with George Abela.
“Because of my pragmatic nature I retain a good personal relationship with all leading Labourites including George Abela. I think the MLP has enormous talent and the secret of our political adversaries’ repeated victories has always been the PN’s ability to turn Labourites against themselves. If all Labourites of talent unite I don’t think the Nationalists stand a chance of winning an election.”
George Abela’s career within Labour remains deeply rooted controversy, it seems. Attard Montalto’s reply is full of selected words too carefully chosen for someone who confesses to have a passion for adventure.
I meet Attard Montalto at his Valletta office. He is hassled by some court case, but the sometimes unconventional politician insists law and politics are not his life, but simply a part of it.
“I do not always do what I like, but I try to like what I do. Politics and law fall within this category. My real passion is adventure travel. Last month I was in the jungle of Guatemala visiting a long lost complex of temples at Tikal. I make it a point to visit four or five countries every year. My aim is to see as much as possible of the world. It is my ambition.”
But the dangers of the Guatemalan jungle are nothing compared to the pitfalls one faces in the jungle of Maltese politics. Attard Montalto is one of the first candidates to have launched his European Parliamentary election campaign and some bad mouths have already tried to undermine his campaign by describing him as the politician who tried to ridicule Alfred Sant soon after the April election.
“I smile when I hear these rumours for the simple reason that those who indulge in such antics have very little experience of the electorate. Politicians sometimes don’t give enough credit to voters’ intelligence.”
And the MEP election campaign is one hard nut to crack given the whole of Malta is to be considered as one big district. “I did have a slight idea what it meant to campaign on two districts but the electoral base this time is wider. I never imagined it would be such a gruelling enterprise. Although the whole country will be considered as one district each locality has its individuality and must be treated so.
“My campaign has to adapt itself to the various localities. Knowing how difficult it is to conduct a campaign on a district level it only follows that seven months for a national campaign is seven months too short.”
He spills the beans on his campaign strategy: “I have always conducted campaigns by trying to understand the different values, beliefs and attitudes of the electorate within my district. I will conduct the MEP campaign on the same basis by targeting all shades of the MLP rainbow. I studied history and can never forget the final exam question quoting what Napoleon said: ‘When I am in Europe, I am a Christian and when I am in Egypt I am a Muslim.’ I think Napoleon had a deep insight in marketing.
“The campaign has to be tailored on the basis of what the electorate expect from me and not what I expect from them. It is a taxing affair because each locality has its particular character.”
But what may now seem to be a run of the mill affair for Labour – the EP election – is still a thorny issue among some of the grass roots. Attard Montalto is however convinced that Labourites are now more receptive to the new position adopted by the party over the EU.
“After the decision taken by the general conference in which the party decided to accept the new reality the rank and file of the party are beginning to understand the policy. In the days after the general conference I used to get bad vibes from Labourites on the decision taken, but as time passed these apprehensions became less and less evident.
“Delegates know they have a unique opportunity one year after going to the polls, to express a vote of confidence in the new leadership team as well as a show of no confidence in the Nationalist administration.”
But what role will Labour Party MEPs play in the European Parliament?
“We would have to integrate as much as possible within the institutions of the EU by actively participating in the committees and making alliances with fellow parliamentarians in the political grouping so that our limited number won’t be a handicap.
“The second objective would be to communicate with fellow Maltese parliamentarians in other political groups to talk with a common voice on issues that are in the national interest.”
He gives an example of this cross-party approach. “Malta was excluded from being considered as a disadvantaged region because it was described as an island State. But both the PN and MLP observers exerted pressure and I can declare that the definition is being changed and the word ‘state’ is to be omitted. There is now another hurdle: Malta risks losing its Objective One status (the status by which the country is eligible for the highest possible funding) because our GDP is poised to surpass the 75 per cent average once the poorer eastern European countries join. I have been in continuous contact with Prof. Josef Bonnici, the PN European Parliament observer, on the issue to discuss the possibility of economic data being inputted in such a way so Malta would not surpass the threshold.”
I query whether this was the ‘Maltese’ way of cheating the system.
“Not really. It is statistically possible within the current regulations to submit data in particular formats so that Malta’s GDP won’t surpass the stipulated minimum level. And we are working on this as a team,” he says.
Attard Montalto participates as an observer for the MLP in the EP committee on legal affairs, which filters all proposals which may or may not appear before the European Parliament.
“I think it is essential for Malta to be represented in at least two committees, that dealing with legal affairs and the one dealing with industry because they deal with legislation that can have an impact on Malta’s manufacturing base,” he argues.
Almost 10 months have passed since John Attard Montalto’s declaration on NET TV soon after the election result was out that he intended contesting the leadership of the party.
“I had called for a change in leadership and my outburst was a reaction to the initial backlash by some people in the party to retain the status quo. My appeal was not directed towards the individuals, Joe Brincat, George Vella and Alfred Sant, whom I think were extremely competent. I believe the party needed a change. At the end of the day I think the general conference opted for the middle road by appointing two new deputies and keeping Alfred Sant,” Attard Montalto says of the events that occurred last year.
He adds: “I was somewhere between two opposite poles. There were those who wanted Alfred Sant to remain leader at all costs and there were those who did not want Sant, a faction which voted for Anglu Farrugia. I fell between two stools and don’t regret it because I think my position instigated change. In reality, delegates perceived I was not interested in the leadership post but more interested in the need for change after another electoral defeat.”
Today he looks back with satisfaction at how things developed. “Had I not started the ball rolling we would not have ended with the new leadership structure we have today.”
And with the Nationalist Party in the process of selecting its new leader I ask Attard Montalto whether retaining Alfred Sant is a problem.
“Dr Sant is not a problem. The electorate is composed of different elements and the leadership team has the qualities to reach out to the different segments. Alfred Sant has experience, he is intelligent. Charles Mangion is a very able and balanced politician while Michael Falzon is great at feeling the pulse of the party grass roots. The MLP is now in better shape to face an election in four years’ time and beat the Nationalist Party.”
I interview Attard Montalto two days after official statistics indicate the level of unemployment rising to almost 9,000. Does he believe EU membership is to blame for current problems?
“It is not a clear cut scenario. Certain problems we are facing and will be facing in a graver manner in the near future are caused by the necessity to adhere to certain aspects of EU regulations and directives. Not all the acquis has been completely transposed and some areas of it can cause problems to industry in Malta. But there are other problems that have long been coming. They needed a solution, which never came. Restructuring has to occur whether Malta is a member or not of the EU.”
Attard Montalto is not exactly your typical Labourite. He comes from a noble family and is very well off. I am interested in how this high flying lawyer with little connection with the working class has found his place in Labour.
“I am a Labourite because of my father’s influence. He was a Labourite by conviction and also contested the election on behalf of the party in the 1950s. He always defended the underdog. This rubbed off on me. I believe the Labour Party can do more for those sections of society that do not have the privilege of wealth and mobility.”