«In 1992, the right of the Italian Social Movement elected Paolo Borsellino to the presidency of the Republic, and it did so not because he was a person linked to a political area, but because he was the strong symbol of the fight against the mafia. Had Paolo Borsellino been alive, I think we would have voted for him as well for the Quirinal in January 2022.” The leader of the Brothers of Italy group in the Chamber, Tommaso Foti, has no doubts, speaking yesterday at the conference dedicated to the memory of Borsellino, entitled “Talk about the mafia… Talk about it on the radio, on television, in the newspapers. But talk about it», organized in Palermo by the FdI parliamentary groups of Montecitorio and the Senate, in collaboration with the Cabinet of Studies.
Mr Foti, what assessment can be made so far about the fight against the mafia?
“The state won because 31 years after those massacres, which should have represented the defeat of the state, at least the mafia elite was certainly beheaded, we had more than 20,000 arrests, hundreds of city councils were dissolved, and the mafia’s firepower has also decreased, going from an average of 2,000 homicides a year in the past, to less than 400 today, which is still a lot.”
Returning to the controversies of recent days, the crime of external competition in a mafia association is not touched upon.
«We need to distinguish what the acts of the government are, and of a minister, from what are the considerations in the context of a personal culture, as Carlo Nordio did. The current external tender letter in the mafia association has never been questioned ».
Is there room in Parliament for corrections to justice reform?
“Parliament is made to discuss and, if possible, intervene, to improve the texts of the law. I believe that what is being brought to the attention of the Senate is a good measure. It would be desirable, and possible, for the reform to be definitively approved by the Chambers by October of this year».
What about abuse of power?
«I notice one thing about the abuse of power: several governments got their hands on it, starting with Andreotti’s fourth executive to move on to the two Prodi governments and then, to go up to the present day, to Conte and Draghi. If we continue to talk about the existence of the problem, the fear of signing, it obviously means that a typology has not yet been found that can remove this fear. Nordio’s solution cuts across the bull’s head: if someone thinks they have a better one, propose it and we’ll discuss it».
Source: IL Tempo
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.