Prestigiacomo on Silvio Berlusconi: “If there is bipolarity in Italy it is thanks to him”

Stefania Prestigiacomo, do you remember your first meeting with Berlusconi? How did it go? What were your first impressions of him?
“How could I not remember. It was December 16, 1993, I was 27 years old. And Berlusconi was the age I am today. I was with my fiancé, now my husband, and part of a Sicilian delegation that had embraced the Forza Italia project and which was received in Arcore by Berlusconi. Even then for me, a young entrepreneur, he was a legend. He had an extraordinary human empathy. He was very strong. He illustrated the program of the new party to us, stopped with each of us, gave us the famous “candidate’s kit”, the green briefcase that I still have. He with me he paused to ask me where I was from. On 27 March 1994 I was elected to Parliament».
And the last time you saw each other?
«In Arcore at the end of January. I went to see him, we had lunch and spent the afternoon together.
He had the usual spirit and lucidity even if his health conditions seemed problematic.
That afternoon will remain in my heart. She was convinced that a reorganization of the party was needed. He loved to confront, listen to people she trusted. He built his judgments on dialogue, he was curious about the perception that others had of situations, people, political events. Then we spoke on the phone frequently until he got sick».
Do you have any regrets?
«Twenty-eight years in parliament, 8 and a half years as a minister, do you want there to be no regrets? There certainly will be, but not today. These are the days of pain, of private before public mourning.
What was the best day with the President?
«One day in the spring of 2001 when he telephoned me to tell me that he wanted me as a minister in his government. I was 34 years old, I was pregnant. I remember joyfully standing up on a chair and talking to the president from there. Then I ran to hug him. Choosing a young woman, expecting a child for a ministerial position at the time was a courageous and extraordinarily innovative decision. The first sign of the great strides that the women’s question has made with the Berlusconi governments».
Did you always agree in the battles for civil rights?
“Not officially. The party was usually more conservative, but sometimes I think the President was not far from my ideas. In any case, I have always been left free to hold and defend my positions. I think Berlusconi thought my line was also useful for interpreting moods that existed in our area, especially among young people».
Do you think your plan to bring about a liberal revolution in the country has been accomplished?
«He gave a voice and political citizenship to the liberal Democrats. Not accomplished, and the reasons are many and known, but the seeds of his revolution have been planted in the consciences of the Italians and in the legislation of the Republic. The great design of the tax reform remains, it is a battle that must be won in the name of Berlusconi ».
What does Berlusconi leave a legacy to politics?
«Leave modernity, leave a radically changed politics. The liturgies of the 1900s no longer exist. Berlusconi created real bipolarism, he led Italy towards the majority. This is Berlusconi’s legacy from which there will be no going back”.
Is there a future for Forza Italia without Berlusconi?
«On Monday morning the second Republic of which he was the absolute protagonist ended. Forza Italia was and will always be Berlusconi, in his name the party will have to choose and decide in the coming weeks ».