Welcome to the world of zero sum politics: a world where rival parties compete not on ideology, but simply on the basis of which leader is more benevolent.
An ex-Nationalist candidate herself, Marlene Pullicino notes that nowadays, people can move freely to and from one party to another. There is no longer any fundamental difference between the MLP and PN, both of which have long converged at the centre. In her own words: “There are no big issues separating the two parties.”
In fact the Labour MP acknowledges that since 1987, the PN moved towards the centre left: “Eddie Fenech Adami was very centre-left. Although I was born a Labourite, I felt very comfortable working in the PN. I think I have not moved one inch from my original position. It is the political parties that followed me. When the MLP accepted Europe I felt very comfortable to join it.”

So what does professing the Labour faith mean today?
“Being a Labourite means believing in the fair distribution of the common good,” she replies. Admittedly it is the kind of statement with which few would actively disagree. And in fact, Pullicino also believes that “every Maltese person is a potential Labourite, as everyone wants a fair distribution of the country’s wealth.”
Regarding the current leadership contest, Marlene Pullicino believes George Abela is the best person to portray the party as everybody’s party.
“He can help persons outside the party to understand that they can have a place in Labour without renouncing any of their beliefs. The two parties are now so similar. There are no big divisive issues. It is very easy for a Nationalist to vote Labour without any problems, and vice versa.”
Still, she thinks that Abela has an edge over other contenders when it comes to approaching former Nationalists.
“He can be the bridge between those who always voted Labour and those who have been contemplating voting for Labour a very long time. But when it comes to the last minute decision, they always find something that turns them off Labour. George Abela can reassure these people.”
Her agenda is simple: “I want Labour to be open, positive, proactive and constructive enough to earn the perception of a worthwhile alternative government.”
She also thinks that the time has come for Labour to come in terms with its own history and rehabilitate Duminku Mintoff – the very person who preached that the Labour Party cannot be everybody’s party.
“I want the party to publicly acknowledge the good that Mintoff did in the 1970s and early 1980s and to rehabilitate his image as the pioneer of the nation as we know it. The same applies to people like Lino Spiteri.”
But at the same time she agrees with Joseph Muscat – one of George Abela’s rivals in the leadership contest – that Labour owes an apology to those who suffered under past MLP governments. “The new party leader should apologise once and for all for its past mistakes, to start with a clean slate.”
Joseph Muscat was the only contender so far to bring up for discussion a theme, which could distinguish the traditionally secular Labour party from the more confessional Nationalist Party. When interviewed on TV programme Dissett Muscat said it was “about time” there was a free discussion on divorce leading to proposed legislation in Parliament.
“I can personally envisage a situation where there is proposed legislation presented to parliament and where MPs, definitely those on our side, are given a free vote.”
But not even on this mainstream issue would Marlene rock Labour’s boat, stating that she opposes divorce for purely confessional reasons. She also makes it clear that whatever the leader thinks on this issue, she will always vote against divorce.
“I am against divorce… for me this is a question of either being Catholic or not.”
Marlene Pullicino is the first Labour MP to pronounce herself publicly in favour of one of the leadership contenders. She did this by attending George Abela’s first public activity in the regatta club in Bormla.
Many Labourites are wary of George Abela because they feel that he had abandoned the party in 1998 after he opposed Alfred Sant’s decision to call Duminku Mintoff’s bluff by going for an early election. Marlene Pullicino cannot share this resentment because at that time she was on the other side of the fence.
“My position is far more awkward than that of George Abela. At that time I disagreed with the MLP’s policies on Europe, even if I was always a socialist at heart. I could not oppose what I considered a fundamentally socialist concept like the European Union.”
But Marlene Pullicino is aware that not everyone in the MLP understands Abela’s position in 1998.
“I asked him personally: why didn’t you stay on in the party waiting for your chance to contest for the leadership? He replied that he did not want to act like Brutus, backstabbing the party leader on the first possible occasion. That is why George Abela called it a day.”
Marlene Pullicino’s support for George Abela is very recent. “I did not know him personally before the leadership contest started… Upon being elected as a Labour MP for the first time I started wondering who would be the best leader to lead us to victory. I started to panic because all the contenders seemed valid, but lacked that something to convince me …”
Pullicino was introduced to George Abela a few weeks ago by Dominic Fenech: a former MLP general secretary between 1980 and 1983, who now serves as the acting chairman of the PBS editorial board.
“Upon my election to parliament Dominic Fenech himself had asked me whether I was interested in a post in the MLP’s leadership. I told him that it was too early for me, as I required more experience. He asked me what I thought of George Abela. I told him that I did not know him and I had some doubts on whether he would appeal to young people.”
Following this conversation Fenech arranged a meeting between Abela and Pullicino.
“I simply went to the meeting because I wanted to know all the contestants. But I left the meeting with great enthusiasm and courage. I immediately realised that he is the leader we need.”
Isn’t she still concerned that at the age of 60, George Abela could be less appealing young people who might be more attracted by 34-year-old Joseph Muscat?
“Joseph Muscat is a very valid person who in the future should form part of the party’s leadership. But the next five years are crucial for us. We need an experienced person at the party’s helm to ensure that our party wins the next election. We cannot afford to face an election with the PN casting doubts on our leader’s lack of experience.”
She also presents a stark contrast between Abela and Muscat. “George Abela is widely respected and is rich in experience in life and politics, while Joseph Muscat so far only has experience in foreign affairs.”
But she encourages George Abela to “cultivate Muscat as one of the future leaders of the MLP.”
According to Pullicino, age is not the main factor to attract young people.
“What we need is charisma, sincerity and the ability to ensure young people a stable future.”
How does Pullicino react to the fact that the PN-oriented media is sympathetic to Abela? “I think that they are simply doing their job reporting what’s happening. Could it be the case that the same thing is not happening on the other media, thus contributing to this imbalance?”
Pullicino refuses to point any fingers even if her cryptic message seems addressed towards the Labour media.
With five contenders battling for the post, is Labour not risking an acrimonious battle, which could leave the MLP devastated by internal rivalries?
“The five contestants for the leadership post are valid persons. They all have different experience and abilities… If the new leader is supported by the other contenders and by the delegates who voted for them, there is no reason to believe that the MLP will emerge divided from this healthy debate.”
Yet a lot depends on how the MLP’s future leader will deal with his rivals...
“He or she should give them importance and should utilise all their talents. The leader should not ignore them simply because they were rivals but should remain close to them by consulting them throughout the legislature.”
What could create rivalries, according to Pullicino, is foul play during the contest itself. “It is important that during the contest itself we are correct and that nobody says things which are better unsaid.”
But she would not mention a concrete example of foul play adding the contenders are behaving correctly… even if this might not be case with all of their supporters.
Marie Louise Coleiro Preca is the only woman in the leadership race. As one of the four Labour women MPs why didn’t she offer her support to her?
“Marie Louise is a very valid candidate. If she does not make it to the leadership I would like her to serve as deputy leader…”
Still she insists that given the circumstances, George Abela is the best choice. Marlene Pullicino has also signed the petition calling for an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) to change the party’s statute in order to give party members a say in the election of their new leader.
“If the leader were elected by party members, nobody would be able to say that he owed his power to cliques. The wider the voting base of the election, the lower the chances of a wrong choice. Anyone elected by party members will be in a stronger position to lead the party.”
Yet Pullicino added that she would be loyal to the chosen leader, irrespective of whether the election takes place among delegates or members.
“After 5 June, I will be 100% loyal to the new leader even if George Abela is rejected by the party’s delegates or members.”
Yet is it wise to introduce such a radical reform in the party’s statute at such a delicate moment in the party’s history?
“I think it’s now or never. The MLP has lost too many elections. We cannot afford to lose more before we introduce the necessary changes. We cannot wait for another five years to make the right choice.”
Jason Micallef’s immediate reaction to George Abela’s candidature was to attack him for deserting Labour in 1998. Pullicino does not mince her words in condemning this sort of behaviour.
“A party general secretary should not criticise any contender for the leadership. A general secretary should welcome everyone on board and leave it up to the members and delegates to decide.”
Should Micallef resign? “I think that after an electoral defeat everyone in the party’s administration should resign. Of course they are free to contest again for the same posts. If the members or delegates want to re-appoint the same persons, it’s up to them but every one should resign.”
As a new MP, Marlene Pullicino forms part of a parliamentary group that has only one seat less than the PN. In such circumstances, the party in government would find it hard to survive for long without a pairing agreement. Some Labour MPs like Anglu Farrugia are dead set against any agreement on this issue. Others are more flexible, arguing that Labour could use this opportunity to have a say on the appointment of the President or the Speaker of the House.
Pullicino warns that the electorate will negatively interpret any intransigence on Labour’s part. “We should work for the common good of the Maltese people. This should be our first priority. When deciding on this issue we should take into consideration what sort of impact such a decision would have on the electorate. We cannot send out a negative image that will stick with us for five years, right up to the next election when we will have to answer for our actions. We should send the message that we are a constructive opposition and a better government in waiting,”
Pullicino expresses the hope that the next President and possibly Speaker of the House should be a non-aligned figure of national unity rather than a Labour or Nationalist militant.
“Let’s for once send a message that we really want national unity. Even the speaker could be someone not associated with any political side. This will signal a step in the right direction.”
In parliament, Marlene Pullicino will face her former husband Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando who will be sitting on the government’s backbench.
“It makes no difference to me. I treat him like any other MP. If he says something with which I disagree, I will wait for my turn to express my disagreement. If Jeffrey says something with which I don’t disagree, I will say nothing. Jeffrey is like anyone else.”
Pullicino describes the last days of the campaign, which saw the Labour Party clashing with her former husband, whose land in Mistra had been earmarked for the development of a disco.
“It was a painful experience as I lived it with my children. I did not express any comment on this matter because of my children. My 19-year-old daughter who studies at university and my 17 year old son who is at Junior College were fully aware of what was happening.”
She refrains from passing any judgement on the matter even if she is critical of the way the MLP tackled the issue.
“I believe in positive campaigns. Even when the party targeted parliamentary secretary Tony Abela I expressed my reservations in an article I had written.”
She also strongly denies being the source of Labour’s revelations. “Some even spread the rumour that I was the source of Labour’s story. I did not know anything about the case. I only talk to my former husband about our children. Neither did my children know anything, as he does not talk to them about business. I chose not to comment as anything I could have said could have been misinterpreted, and my children would have suffered more.”
But is her former husband guilty?
“I do not know whether Jeffrey is guilty or not. He is an adult and he can take care of himself. But the children were suffering. I discussed the issue with my daughter Jennifer who agreed with me that I should say nothing.”

jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt