An interview with Emma Bonino, by Pierluigi Battista

ABSTRACT: The day after she was elected secretary of the radical party, Emma Bonino answered questions on the conclusions of the radical congress (Rome, 4/8 February 1993), on the periodical self-financing campaigns, on the many times when the very survival of the party has been at jeopardy, on corruption, on the massive adhesion to the Radical Party by parliamentarians from all parties.

(LA STAMPA, February 10th, 1993)

Congratulations to the new secretary. "You can keep your congratulations for yourself". It's no use, Emma Bonino still won't accept the fact of having been elected secretary of the radical party against her will. The day after the torments and tears of the congress, much work remains to be done. The value at stake is the survival of the party.

Honestly speaking, is your reluctance sincere or is it somewhat theatrical?

BONINO - "In radical congresses, there is no race or struggle to occupy important positions and pocket the benefits. Therefore, the attempts to shun the heavy responsibilities that lie with the secretary and treasurer and the twelve-hour workdays are perfectly understandable. After four years of heavy work as president of the party I was hoping others would occupy this position so that I could rest awhile. This has not been possible. But I hope the many Italians who thank us each time for our miracles but never move a finger for us will support me in this task."

Didn't Pannella's remarks about "Emma's humbleness" irritate you?

BONINO - "Unlike Marco, I don't believe humbleness is the antechamber of all perfections. I practice responsibility instead. I think I proved it both when I refused a candidacy which did not take into account the sacred reasons that underlie the principle of the rotation of the positions and of the persons and also when, once the most adequate candidacy had dropped, I did not shun my responsibilities and accepted once again to go on".

Do you honestly think you can make it by the deadline?

BONINO - "That is a question you have to ask the Italians. Will they recognize once again that we were right before our likely funeral?"

People say the radicals have announced their end so many times that now no one believes them.

BONINO - "That is true. For years the radicals, with their poverty, their constantly putting themselves in question due to lack of money have been announcing their end. In fact, they have been pointing their index at those who never asked their members for a cent, who organized multimillion campaigns without ever asking citizens for help. It didn't take the bribes scandal to deduce that they were thieves. And yet people kept voting for them. Today we will finally understand why there is not a single radical implicated in the scandals".

Aren't you disturbed by the fact that a large number of former members of the nomenclature are joining the radical party?

BONINO - "We are lay people, and we express no moral judgment on the reasons why so many exponents of the nomenclature are joining the Radical Party. We judge the facts, i.e. the valuable act of support and sympathy by so many politicians towards the only honest party. They do not expect any important positions or impossible protections, but simply the capacity to overcome this regime, preventing its replacement by a worse one, as many secretly wish".

Who?

BONINO - "For instance, all those parties of "opinion" such as La Rete and Rifondazione, who feed the public opinion with an authoritarian and demagogic ideology".

Suppose that on February 28th your efforts will prove vain. Would you quit everything as Pannella threatens to do?

BONINO - "If people told us they could do without the radical party, that the reform of the institutions can be carried out by the parties that pilfered the state and not by those who have prevented them from dragging the country into bankruptcy, then my choices would no longer affect the citizens, but myself only."