CdS: Minister Di Pietro, what is going to happen to the Democratic Party in Campania following Bassolino going to trial on charges related to the waste disposal affair?
Di Pietro: There is no doubt that this affair will certainly be an electoral setback. However, the fault does not lie with the judge that was simply doing his duty, but rather with politics, which, instead of ensuring the proper disposal of the refuse, has instead created the right conditions that led the Magistrate to request an investigatory hearing. The setbacks are a given fact. I would not, however, wish to see the cause being confused with the effects.


CdS: What should Bassolino do now? Should he stay in office or should he resign?
Di Pietro: The Italia dei valori party was the only one – and we were harshly criticised I might add - to ask for Bassolini’s resignation, already a number of months ago when the refuse scandal first broke. Furthermore, we asked for his resignation even though we were still part of the centre-left».


CdS: Are there any members of your party serving in the Bassolino junta?
Di Pietro: We have never had any of our members serving in the Bassolino junta and not even now, after the dissolution and restructuring that became necessary when a number of members took a different path, namely that of the Poggioreale rather than that of the Regional Council Chambers. Although we were asked to take part, we turned down the invitation.


CdS: Why?
Di Pietro: We believe that the Bassolino experience is a thing of the past. He is politically liable for the lack of action in terms of waste disposal. Now, with him being sent for trial, which is nothing mor nor nothing less than an investigatory inquiry with all the normal guarantees for the defense, Bassolino the man will be able to prove his innocence, also because I believe he was used, deceived and then raped by the logic of internal party vetos. It is unimaginable for us to think that Bassolino would have benefited personally from such actions. I am sure that he was led by the nose and now he has landed up delegating certain roles and responsibilities to individuals who should have rather been locked up than given any responsibility whatsoever.


CdS: What will be the extent of the electoral setbacks?
Di Pietro: It is going to be rather wide ranging. Bassolino’s resignation may send a message of discontinuity. Not having been involved in this episode gives us, as members of the Italia dei valori party, the right to stand as an alternative to abstention, because it is clear that the Neapolitan citizen who is now discouraged after having taken note of this inactivity, will no doubt be more than a little tempted to stay away from the polling booths. I would nevertheless like to say one other thing, namely that it would be unfair to unload all of the blame for the waste disposal fiasco onto Bassolini alone, since the poor record also extends to other areas of Government, for example, the matter of Naples thermoenhancer, which dates back to the era of the centre-right junta led at the time by Rastrelli.