Sandra Gauci

IIkoll means all of us, together. Ilkoll is about a politics of solidarity, rather than a focus on excessive individualism. As a society, we are only as strong as those who are least supported among us. If we don’t move forward together, we risk leaving people behind. This election should not be about what freebies we can offer individuals but about the steps that we can take as a society to all move forward. To all succeed. Together.

As individuals, we are the sum of many parts. We need to recognise the full complexity of each person: everything they bring, every identity they hold and how these intersect and shape one another. This means acknowledging that there is no single way to be Maltese, just as there is no single way to be a Maltese woman, or a Maltese woman in politics, and beyond.

What does it mean to regard people as whole, whoever they are, whatever their background or education? It means inviting them to the table not as a token gesture but with a genuine commitment to listen: to understand their struggles and needs, as well as their visions and ideas. It means looking beyond any single aspect of identity and recognising each person in their full complexity.

As the only female leader of a political party in Malta, I feel this deeply, personally. I approach politics in a way that reflects my experience as a woman, not because women are inherently different from men but because society still perceives and treats us differently.

As a woman in politics, I am often criticised for saying the same things as a man and judged for how I dress. For how I comport myself. But I will not make myself smaller. I bring my whole self to the table. I have built a community that doesn’t just see or hear me but truly listens. I want to offer that same space to others.

Sociological research studies in Malta have shown that, among the two big parties, once nominated, female candidates fare just as well as male candidates. This was before the gender mechanism, or top-up, which was introduced before the 2022 election. In effect, the top-up method that kicks in only if two parties get elected is nothing but tokenism in action.

When I get elected it will be on my own steam and because I am seen as more than a woman – but as a political leader with a vision and something to offer people.

From all-male candidate lists to all-male panels of journalists discussing elections, the pattern is hard to ignore. When I look around, and back, I can recall nearly every woman who has served in parliament, not because each one was uniquely memorable but because there have been so few.

Women are the majority taken for granted– Sandra Gauci

How can I stand on the shoulders of the women who came before me when I know how tired they are? When I recognise the emotional labour we carry every day for our families, not only in raising children but also in caring for our elders. And for those of us who are activists, there are additional burdens still: confronting the everyday sexism and misogyny embedded within the institutions around us.

All the women of this country, together, can change the outcome of the election. We are the majority that is too often taken for granted, whose labour goes unseen and whose mental load is heavy. I know that, where men have fallen short, women can succeed. Not because women are inherently different from men but because, in this patriarchal society, we have been socialised in different ways.

I appeal to all women to look within and consider their future: to put themselves first and to vote for a society that recognises all of who they are, everything they bring to the table.

This is about much more than individual electoral promises; it is about our political values. In this election, I ask you to consider the whole picture: to look beyond individual pledges and assess electoral programmes in their entirety. Which vision for Malta truly includes us all? And which risks leaving people behind? The choice is yours on May 30.

First published here in The Sunday Times of Malta

Sandra Gauci is chairperson of ADPD-The Green Party and an electoral candidate on the 6th and 12th district.