Opinion: Nine Reasons Why Malta Needs More Politicians Like Marlene Farrugia
Whether their views lean to the right or left, some politicians clearly stand out from the crowd, and one of them is Marlene Farrugia, a former MP who served the country through thick and thin.
Be it for environmental conservation, transforming the way we look at politics or dancing shamelessly during a rally, here are nine reasons why we need more politicians like Marlene Farrugia.
1. Her party allegiances changed but her values didn’t
Marlene Farrugia entered politics with the Nationalist Party where she contested the 1996 local council elections. After 2004, she believed that she could serve better by contributing to strengthening the Opposition and thus joined the Labour Party, becoming a PL MP in 2008.
However, after claiming that Labour did not stick to the promises it made to the people that voted in the 2013 election, Farrugia left the party in 2015.
She founded a new party – the Partit Demokratiku – and two years later was re-elected to Parliament, becoming the first third-party MP to be elected since 1962, although it was on the PN’s ticket as part of the ‘Forza Nazzjonali’ coalition.
2. She was the first MP to propose decriminalising abortion without promoting it
On 12th May 2021, Marlene Farrugia presented a bill in parliament to decriminalise abortion.
Although the bill did not go through, the discussion on the taboo topic was a step forward.
Farrugia does not consider herself pro-choice, but she understands that out society should help women who don’t want to continue unwanted pregnancies. Therefore, she insists that the option to terminate a pregnancy is a woman’s right in a democratic society.
3. She believes in press freedom, even though she was heavily criticised heavily for it
On Jon Mallia’s recent podcast with Farrugia, the former MP recounted the time she found out that the late journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia had written a critical article about her.
When she was told about it, Farrugia said that the journalist had every right to write and criticise her. After Caruana Galizia’s assassination, Farrugia praised her for her work on multiple occasions, despite having different political views than her on a number of issues.
4. Her commitment to protecting the environment is not empty promises
Inspired by the nature in Żurrieq where she grew up, Farrugia has long called for long-term plans to preserve the few green spaces that we have left in the country.
That being said, she has not ruled out urban development, as long as it is done with long-term plans which do not compromise our natural habitat.
Marlene Farrugia cites Wied Babu as one of the places she used to escape to when life got too hectic (Source: Malta Hidden Trails Instagram)
5. She openly claims that nepotism has become more important than meritocracy
During Jon Mallia’s podcast, Farrugia condemned the problem of nepotism triumphing over meritocracy over nepotism.
She explains that nowadays people no longer feel they can succeed on their own merits and instead feel like they need to cosy up to people in power in order to obtain what they truly deserve.
6. She wishes well to those she clashed with
There have been so many instances where we’ve seen politicians engage in petty and childish due to disagreements. However, when Marlene Farrugia was asked about former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, she wished him nothing but the best for his future.
“I wish him all that his heart desires. To him, his family and those two beautiful daughters that he has.”
7. She wants to eradicate partisan politics and polarisation
Farrugia has been elected on both PN and PL tickets, in all cases to prove that allegiances can change if one’s values stay the same. When asked about the subject, she reminisced back to when she was scolded for reading a particular newspaper and thinking about how she wanted such times to end.
“That was not a life, I did not want my country to be like that. I wanted to completely get rid of all that toxic polarisation.”
8. She scrutinises everything, even the government she was part of
“Dik ħallijielek missierek?”
That’s what Marlene Farrugia told her Prime Minister Joseph Muscat when a plan to sell public land to foreign investors was unveiled. Enough said.
9. She is not afraid to dance
Marlene Farrugia is a likeable and passionate figure. But what’s more, she is proud of being that person. In her latest appearance, when asked about a video of her dancing during a PN rally, she said she has no regrets.
“Dance unites people as a community, it is a positive thing. Why should I be ashamed of dancing? In Żurrieq, if we get an opportunity to dance, we dance. Be it the village feast, or a party. And we enjoy it. We don’t bother anyone, we behave ourselves and we enjoy dancing.”
What do you think of Marlene Farrugia?