Graziella Galea is contesting the upcoming election on the 10th and 12th Districts under the Nationalist Party ticket.We sat down with her for a quick chat to ask a few questions about her campaign, priorities and what she hopes to bring to the table — and here’s how she answered.1. Why should people vote for you?I offer people an honest down-to-earth style of politics and strive to be always available even for the slightest concerns and issues faced by people.In a democracy such as ours, politics is all about being in touch with people, and that is, and has always been, my way of going about things.In order to represent people, one must listen and understand and that is something I strive to do all the time.2. Why did you decide to enter politics?Coming from a family that is involved in politics, I involved myself in the voluntary aspect since my early teens. Running for local elections in my hometown of St Paul’s Bay, and serving on the council including as Mayor, was the next logical step, and then eventually I was elected as MP for the 12th district.I cannot say that there was a moment of decision; it was more of a developmental process.3. What are your top three priorities for Malta right now?I would say that my top priority would be the environment, and the many threats it is facing from overpopulation, traffic, poor air quality and unbridled construction.Another priority I see is the affordability of many essentials. There is a huge mismatch between earnings for young people and the money required to set themselves up in life. Many young people who seek independence are finding it practically impossible to buy their first property due to the hefty down payment required to get a loan, and end up having to rent accommodation at a cost that is more than a monthly repayment on their own purchase would be.My third priority would be having a strong policy in place to deal with issues faced by those living on the fringe of society, for reasons of health, economic or social status, sexual orientation or any other matter that blocks inclusion.4. What kind of Malta do you want to build over the next five years?There are many things I would like to see in our Malta on the next years. I would like to see its environment being better respected. Malta needs a government whose main priority is the people and not the other way round.I would like to see everybody with the proper access to services – such as health, transport, education and yes, even leisure activities – that are paid for by our taxes, and should thus be equitably distributed and available to all.I would like to see a society where mutual respect, irrespective of age, money or any other label, is the order of the day.5. What problem do people in your district talk to you about most?My district, the 12th, is made up of diverse localities, which naturally gives rise to a whole spectrum of concerns. Perhaps the most problematic isue is the result of an explosion in population, not only in numbers but also in nature. The timeframe for this quantitative and qualitative change has been very fast and this has given rise to a number of problems that the government has been ignoring for many years.Law and order, noisiness, lack of cleanliness, traffic and access to services are just a few of these problems.6. Why should young people vote for you?I was a young person myself not so long ago, and I still consider myself to be very much in touch with people younger than me.My involvement in the voluntary sector, due to my role as its opposition spokesperson, has put me in touch with many young people from diverse backgrounds, with different interests and concerns.I feel that my ability to listen and put myself in other people’s shoes is a strong reason for those younger than me to trust me with their vote and connect with my mix of youth and experience.7. Which candidate, even outside your party, do you admire and why?The truth is that I admire all candidates who put themselves forward for public office for the right reasons. It is a demanding and often thankless job, one which requires dedication, commitment and sacrifice.8. Anything you’d like to add?I know it might sound like a cliché but I wish to say that I am a firm believer in the saying that the future belongs to younger people. They have more of it to face and, considering the changes that we have seen in the past years, with a faster-than-light rate of technological advancement, many more changes are expected in coming years.However, today’s young will very soon not be so young anymore and will find an even younger generation wanting to change the world for the better, just like they want to today.So, my last piece of advice is that time makes you older by the minute, but you can still hang on to the ideals that drive you today.Never give up on them and stay young.This article was paid for by Graziella Galea. It is a sponsored article that forms part of Know Before You Vote, a new Lovin Malta series offered to candidates who intend to contest the next general election.•