'AD's time has come'

The time for Alternattiva Demokratika to have representation in Parliament has come, and this will make a big difference to Maltese politics, European Greens spokesman Philippe Lambert said yesterday.

Addressing a meeting for AD activists, Mr Lambert said AD would bring about a change in Maltese politics.

He said that Green parties were showing that change in the way politics were done was possible.

AD chairman Harry Vassallo said next week's election will not only be deciding who will lead the country for the next five years but will also determine the country's destiny for decades to come.

He envisaged a situation where, instead of getting to know the election result from the big political parties, it would be the Electoral Commission to announce it since AD candidates would have been elected and a coalition would therefore be needed.

"People will then know that the country has changed forever and for the better," he said.

Referring to his party's ongoing fight for rent reform, he said the thousands of empty houses amounted to billions of liri in investment and represented a bubble ready to burst. A collapse in property prices would mean that many families would lose a lot of money.

Dr Vassallo said the two big parties based their electoral campaigns on fear instead of serious discussion on issues which really affected people. The parties were controlled by speculators and therefore avoided tackling certain subjects so as not to cause problems.

Present for yesterday's meeting was former PN supporter Jo Said and his wife, who yesterday joined AD.

Speaking to the media following the meeting, Mr Said said he had attended two meetings of the Nationalist Party, one of the MLP and another by AD before deciding to join the latter. He wanted to listen to what the three parties were saying before deciding whom to support.

As Mr Said was exiting the hall at the Vivaldi Hotel, where the meeting took place, Dr Vassallo said AD's door was open for both those who wanted to join and those who wanted to leave the party.

Speaking to the media afterwards, Mr Said denied that he was a Labour supporter, as reported in The Sunday Times yesterday.

He also denied that he was being investigated by the police for blackmailing Nationalist MP David Agius, adding that he had given statements on a voluntary basis.

Mr Agius told The Sunday Times that he had asked the Police Commissioner to investigate Mr Said for using "moral violence" and "blackmail" to force him to do something against his will.

It is being alleged that Mr Said tried to force Mr Aguis to stand up in Parliament, declare that the Nationalist government is corrupt and cross the floor.

Mr Said yesterday said that he never forced Mr Agius but only suggested that he denounce the government and cross the floor as an independent MP.

He also insisted that he did not really tell The Sunday Times that he does not speak to non-independent media but rather that he does not speak to media that proclaims to be independent but is not.