The former five-star parliamentarian, now president of “Alternativa” and candidate for mayor in Cagliari, points the finger at the policies of the right and left: “A sick bipolarism that blackmails the citizen”
From:
Giammaria Lavena
The week that opens the doors to the final rush in the race to Palazzo Bacaredda has begun in Cagliari, where the name of who will administer the capital for the next five years will be decreed. In fact, on 8 and 9 May, citizens are called to the polls to choose the new mayor. Alessandra Zedda, Massimo Zedda, Giuseppe Farris, Emanuela Corda and Claudia Ortu: these are the five candidates for mayor of Cagliari for the 2024 municipal elections. To the large parties of the right and left, which support the two Zeddas (respectively the former vice-president of Solinas and the former mayor of Cagliari), are counterbalanced by the “alternative” lists, which aim to bring a new and different project, therefore Farris with “Movimento CiviCA 2024”, Corda with “Alternativa” and Ortu with “Cagliari Popular”.
We contacted Emanuela Cordanational president of “Alternative”, a group formed after the ex-parliamentarian’s departure from the M5S, when the 49-year-old from Cagliari voted in 2021 together with other five-star members to vote no confidence in the Draghi Government. Corda, as indicated by the name of the party, takes to the field to offer a “different solution” to citizens. “For decades, the (fake) left and right have been misleading Cagliari’s voters with the mantra ‘let’s start from the suburbs’ – he wrote some time ago on social media -. Then you go and see the conditions San Michele (district of Cagliari, ed.) is reduced to and you understand that this is a no-man’s land.” Together with the former deputy we tried to retrace the steps that led her to propose herself as leader of her city; here’s what she told us:
I would start with his “Alternative” party. Today he also runs against the same M5S, part of the broad camp, from which he distanced himself. But if it is true that he decided to change course after joining the Draghi government, can it be said that his ideals have always remained true to themselves, and therefore rather in line with those of the Five Star Movement?
“I remained in line with those values that the Movement carried forward, but unfortunately today Conte’s is no longer the party of the beginning, because with those actions he demonstrated a lot of inconsistency. I remain consistent: I believe that politics can be done as a service to the citizen, and I believe that those who legislate – therefore those who are in Parliament and in the Region – should not be able to reapply elsewhere, because the mandate, as we established in the movement that was, is sacred and must be respected. This is just one of the many examples that can be given of the inconsistency that is being carried forward today by my former movement. Evidently they no longer believe in those values that I continue to support.”
After the first female president of the Sardinia Region, it could be the turn of the first female mayor in Cagliari: do you see this as a concrete possibility?
“I have never been in favor of female quotas: I don’t believe that women should belong to a protected species. I think it is society that needs to change, to be more inclusive by putting everyone on equal terms. I believe that a person’s skills are independent of their gender. I would certainly like to see a woman at the helm of the city, it would be a change given that Cagliari has never had a female mayor. But, I repeat, the deserving person is capable regardless, I don’t make any differences in this sense. This year three women and two men are running: we’ll see how it ends…”.
How do you think you can be the right person to resolve the critical issues identified for the city of Cagliari, also seeing what is proposed by its contenders?
“More than believing I am the right person, I think I have the right vision, because I present myself with a single symbol, with a concrete proposal that is carried out by a solid group of people who believe in it, I have no debt of gratitude to anyone and this group does not have to answer to other political subjects who could possibly have claims in terms of seats. Having free hands is already a guarantee of being able to carry out the program coherently and keeping faith with the agreements. I no longer believe in this bipolar system which is pursuing a blackmail approach towards voters with the logic of a useful vote which is only useful to those who ask for it. When it is said that only those on the left and right sides can solve citizens’ problems, while the others are wasted votes, in my opinion a very incorrect strategy is being adopted to carry out an electoral campaign. These are unfair and anti-democratic electoral systems: we saw it in the Regional elections, where a person who received almost 70 thousand votes and is shamefully not represented in the region was excluded due to a ridiculous and paradoxical electoral law. Whoever conceived these laws evidently thought well of locking down a system that is self-preserving, also encouraging the formation of many ‘owl lists’, fake civic lists constructed by the various parties to deceive the voter, which then go on to support the gatherings of the right and the left. Just look at how Cagliari is reduced, and we are talking about a degradation that has lasted for decades.”
In 2015 Cagliari was found to be the “happiest city in Italy”, but according to a 2023 survey it slipped to 23rd place. Is it, therefore, only the fault of the latest administrative management or is the problem much more deep-rooted?
“I believe, first of all, that the policies that are adopted at a national and international level also have important consequences from a more strictly local point of view. The mortgage crisis, skyrocketing interest rates, the exorbitant cost of living: these are all situations that occur due to economic circumstances that have at their root the policies adopted. Totally wrong strategies at an international level, war policies and geopolitical positioning, poor valorisation of our small-medium enterprises. For example, the issue of rentals comes to mind: online platforms that receive important favors from a tax point of view, also avoiding taxes. At a local level, obviously those who govern represent the continuum of those who then govern at a national level: they are always the same. Let’s take for example the Simplification Decree, voted by the right and left, with which they will fill us with wind turbines. But I could give many other examples: the shopping centers close to the city, the penalization of small local businesses, the failure to listen to trade associations and not engage with citizens, it is all part of a plan to destructure the city. We are losing rights and freedoms, all in favor of a cannibalistic concept in the management of public resources. Finally, I mention another: the idea of privatizing – it is not clear according to what logic – the Elmas airport, which is active and constantly growing, all of this is inconceivable. When you carry out policies of this type you cannot expect citizens’ lives to improve.”
Malamovida and abandoned peripheral areas: one of the major issues that have been at the forefront of the capital for years. How can we stem this phenomenon?
“That too is the result of a degradation that unfortunately has been dragging on for decades. We are talking about both urban disorder and poor enforcement of regulations and ordinances. There is a sense of impunity that hovers and which cannot be addressed in any way. Let’s add to this the lack of staff, which derives from the fact that obviously even the Municipality’s employees are not remunerated in the most appropriate way. What to do? In the meantime, we should try to create stronger synergies with the prefectures, strengthening the urban police department and integrating it with organized civic groups that can monitor the territories. Then, obviously, on the salary issue: ad hoc competitions based on what the actual shortcomings are, reorganization of the offices, putting the latter back into connection. Last but not least, go and carry out a serious investigation into the indicators of fragility because if we do not clearly investigate the situations of degradation the different realities come into conflict, creating situations of discomfort. I am thinking, for example, of neighborhoods with a large number of elderly people, where groups of immigrants who are not included in any social and inclusive project go to live. Even for young people, there is a lack of places to meet and socialize. In some situations, an iron fist is needed: it is not possible that one can bivouack in the squares until late at night without adequate controls. All this leads to moral and social degradation.”
What kind of feedback are you getting in recent weeks? Has the electoral campaign lived up to your expectations so far?
“I believe that our group has done, to date, everything it could to make itself known. Obviously with the resources we have – we are a single list and a young party – we cannot advertise expensively on an economic level, but we are certainly dealing with everyone: civic committees, trade associations, citizens and the press. We are listening to all the voices that have requests to propose and share, also because I believe that one of the things that has been missing most at a political level in recent years is discussion and listening to citizens. Requests and needs are not listened to, there is a lack of places for discussion and meeting, while places of culture are degraded and abandoned. Suffice it to say that the last administration imagines moving the San Benedetto Market close to the Lyric Theatre, to a place that should be dedicated to making music and art. In conclusion, administrators should have more direct contact with citizens and find more immediate solutions, not always at the last moment with the excuse of European funds going away. I don’t believe that those who have failed can also solve problems. “Alternativa” did a good job in proposing a different way of doing politics”.
Message to the people of Cagliari: why trust them?
“I ask you to trust a project: “Alternativa” aims to completely change the method of doing politics. A sick bipolarism has been created that blackmails the citizen and forces him to make a choice: either us or them. This is wrong, because in democracy there are also paths different from the pre-established ones which feed on themselves and tend to self-preserve. I therefore believe that in this “Alternative” is profoundly different, and I think it is the freest choice to make at this moment”.
