Julie Zahra acknowledged on Monday that the introduction of child-minding facilities at parliament would help MPs juggle their parliamentary and parenthood roles better, after the PN MP's four-year-old daughter tagged along with her for the afternoon plenary session.

Later admitting to Times of Malta that juggling her roles of motherhood and an MP was challenging when she had no one to mind her daughter, she said she took the opportunity to "set the right example" for her child.

"I plan ahead and I'm not easily disheartened, but today I knew her dad was going to be late and I thought it was best to take her with me to work," the novice PN MP told Times of Malta

"I took it as an opportunity to show her that no matter how busy you are or where you are in life, you should always honour your duties, even if it takes sacrifice."

Parliament has lately hosted some young new faces - but not as young, or as new, as four-year-old Nina Mae, who tagged along with her mother on Monday.

Nina Mae sat next to her mother on the side of the Opposition and probably nobody would have noticed her if PN whip Robert Cutajar did not stand up to address Minister Owen Bonnici during question time.

As the parliament camera panned on Cutajar, the four-year-old could be seen sitting behind him eating away at a snack, drawing on a piece of paper and gazing at the chamber around her.

Eventually, fellow PN MP Ian Vassallo Hagi, who was sitting next to Zahra informed Zahra that her daughter was live on camera. Zahra took a look at the screen and blushed.

The moment Nationalist MP and Nina Mae's mother, Julie Zahra, looks at the parliament screen and realises her daughter is live on television.The moment Nationalist MP and Nina Mae's mother, Julie Zahra, looks at the parliament screen and realises her daughter is live on television.

The moment made the rounds on social media, with some asking whether it was time for MPs to have child-minding or childcare facilities.

'I will not be disheartened by the challenges, but they are real'

"I wouldn't say it necessarily has to be childcare. Child-minding is enough, and even if some sort of childcare service is provided, it doesn't have to be exclusively for MPs. It could be extended to all people who work in Valletta," Zahra told Times of Malta.

"I will not be disheartened by the challenges, but the challenges are nonetheless very real, especially for mothers. Despite having urged more women to go into politics, the gender mechanism alone will not be enough to mitigate the challenging working conditions for female MPs."

Taking children to parliament is not new for politicians all around the world. In 2018, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took her three-month-old baby to the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Locally, Zahra follows in the footsteps of Julia Farrugia Portelli and Miriam Dalli, both of whom have turned up to parliament with their children.

Zahra says her daughter is not entirely sure of what her mother does in parliament.

"She knows I go to parliament and I speak to people to make people's lives better. That is what I told her so far, and I think that is all she needs to know for now," Zahra said.

"But she knows I stand up and speak in parliament, and as we were headed in today, she asked me whether I was going to speak."

Zahra says her fellow Nationalist MPs were very supportive and kept her daughter company.

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