Vittorio Coco’s UDC party platform

Senate candidate calls for immigration control and promotion of Italian language

Vittorio Coco, the UDC party’s political secretary in Canada, and senate candidate for the upcoming April 13 and 14 election, strongly believes in his political party, the UDC (Italy’s Christian Democratic party).
“The candidate lists have been finalized several days ago, but those of us with the UDC party have always worked right in the heart of the community, not just now at election time.” This is his general platform. Coco’s focus is on immigration, Italian culture, and youth.

What are the issues, and what are your goals?
“Our priorities are institutions, economic development, security and justice, family and social issues, schools and our youth, energy, the environment, agriculture and infrastructure, transportation, health, and foreign politics. To be respected, a nation needs to have a good foreign policy.”

How would you promote the Italian language?
“This is one of our main issues. We intend to build a preeminent Italian school in North America to promote our language. The French have it, and we have one in Afghanistan, so why not here in North America? There’s a strong demand here for the study of the Italian language.”

What can be done to make people’s daily lives safer?
“We need to empower the forces of law and order, increase immigration control, provide incentive to integrate while strongly defending our identity. But we need to make the electorate understand that we’re not against immigration – we’re immigrants – but there has to be precise rules or else we risk allowing in delinquents. As far as justice is concerned, we’re not interested in controversial discourse, only results. But justice needs to be addressed in a timely matter – for example there are court cases in Italy which can last up to 20 years.”

What about finance and the economy?
“It is important to eliminate financial legislation, which includes built-in increases and spending, replacing it with balanced-budget legislation modeled after the private sector. The objective? To put accountability and the bottom-line into the system of expenditures. To favour economic development, we need to reform production methods and reduce the tax burden, reducing taxes for research and development in order to establish innovation and to increase competitiveness.”

How do you respond to those who have suggested you quit politics to dedicate yourself to your family?
“A dear friend suggested I enjoy life and my three grandchildren. That’s the easy way out. Sure, I have a well-paying job as director of politics and social affairs at TV station CHIN TV International. I direct the most-watched TV program Festival Italiano di Johnny Lombardi in Canada. I have three wonderful grandchildren, and a wife, and I’m on in years. But I also have a huge responsibility to my community. For me it’s pay back time. To give back to the community some of what they’ve given me: success, popularity, and high visibility all across North America.”

What do you think about Gino Bucchino's and Renato Turano's decision to run again? In a recent interview, Bucchino said that his decision to seek reelection is due to support from friends.
“We all know that old habits are hard to break. They’re seeking reelection after two years because they managed to do nothing for our children and for the Italians who voted them into power. What guts. According to their argument, their renomination is based on the fact that they didn’t have the time required to solve the problems of their electorate. In regards to criticisms about their absence from the territory [Canada/North America], Turano’s defense was ‘I was busy in Rome trying to prevent the fall of my government.’ What shamelessness! Who’s to say he won’t do the same thing this time around? His friend Bucchino is a bit more sensitive to the problems of the community. He is seeking reelection to the Chamber with the PD, despite having declared before that if his government fell he would not seek reelection since he had not been able to accomplish much for his voters. But here he is again, ready to take a seat in the Chamber of Deputies – most likely on the opposition benches this time. These are the people who want to represent us in Italy’s next parliament? I really hope not.”

Totò Cuffaro is a senate candidate for Sicily. It's a hot topic in Italian politics…
“Candidates are chosen by politics, not by the magistrate, as Casini has stated. Since it’s only a light sentence, I don’t see why not he cannot be a candidate. There are still two steps to go before he is given a final sentence. If this did take place, it would be our duty to remove him from office.”

Casini, when asked about a possible stalemate, answered that he fears that there won't be a general coalition.
“That’s what it would be. It’s common knowledge that Veltroni and Berlusconi have already come to an agreement, though I wouldn’t be so sure. I believe our party will tip the scales, and I firmly believe we’ll achieve 8% representation in the senate and as such will be able to make a difference.”

Being a senate candidate comes with a sense of pride, but there is also a responsibility. What’s your biggest wish?
“I wish that the election campaign ends soon, that nerves are calmed and we can deal more with the problems that are currently facing Italy. Let’s consider the Italians and not just our self-interest. I’ve declared my candidacy for one simple reason: making a contribution to the community in which I live. I’m not doing it for personal gain. If I win, I would donate my salary to Sick Children’s Hospital. I’m not doing it for the money, but because I strongly believe in the political process. I’ve accepted the candidacy because the nomination was from my own party, of which I’m proud to have been a member in my youth. I accepted especially because I believe in the strong values I inherited from Don Luigi Sturzo.
“In this immense continent, there are many who uphold the same values of the UDC party and its leader Pierferdinando Casini. There are other men and women, along with me, who work in the North and Central America region. They are familiar with our constituency’s problems first-hand. I’ve experienced for myself the sacrifice of having immigrated — I put up with discrimination by those who didn’t want us here. But I had to stay in Canada. We suffered, worked incessantly, learned the language, and raised families. It’s true that our roots are deep, but that isn’t enough. We need to be alert, attentive to their difficult needs, and those of us with the UDC party believe we have the right solution.”

Publication Date: 2008-04-06
Story Location: http://tandemnews.com/viewstory.php?storyid=8200