Reflections on a defeat

Many Labourites are still shell-shocked after the heavy defeat suffered by the Malta Labour Party at the general election of April 12. What went wrong? Is there a future for Labour after two consecutive electoral defeats? How come the Nationalist Party, despite its performance in government which was even criticised by many of its supporters, managed to win so comfortably at the polls?

The reasons for the MLP defeat were many and varied and need to be analysed in depth for the sake of the party's future and that of all its supporters. I shall deal here with those reasons which are, in my opinion, the most important.

Those of us who whole-heartedly opposed European Union membership for Malta did so because we genuinely believed it would not be in the best interest of our country. However, it is evident that the majority of the Maltese people are in favour of EU membership. The result of the April 12 general election leaves no room for doubt about this. The majority of the Maltese people have rejected the MLP's alternative vision of partnership with the European Union and have voted in favour of membership. They have chosen to ignore the performance of the PN government and voted solely on the issue of EU membership or partnership.

Given this outcome, it is vital for all Labourites to acknowledge the fact that Malta will now become a member of the European Union. Future Malta Labour Party policy has to be reformulated to take account of this fact. This will not be a U-turn on the part of the party, this will simply be a consolidation of its democratic credentials, bowing to the will of the sovereign electorate. After April 12, the MLP has to work on how Malta can best benefit from European Union membership and how the MLP can contribute to all this.

The Malta Labour Party continues to be heavily handicapped by the fact that it does not have its own English-language newspaper.

It is not enough to have contributions by the very few pro-MLP opinion-writers in the English language newspapers. The electronic journal, maltastar.com, has not proved to be a satisfactory solution. How many Maltese have access to the internet? How many bother to read about politics on the internet in the evening, when it is so much easier to do so by buying a newspaper in the morning?

One must realise that the editors of the English language newspapers have to follow an editorial policy which is sometimes not in line with MLP policy, as in the case of the European Union issue. The solution is not to expect the English language newspapers to change their editorial policy but for the Malta Labour Party to publish its own daily newspaper in English.

The editorial staff of maltastar.com has done an excellent job during the short existence of this electronic journal. It should now be printed daily and circulated in the Maltese islands.

The truth is that the political situation in Malta today is far different from that of the last MLP victory in 1996. It seems incredible today that the great victory of 1996 - 132,497 votes for the MLP as against 124,864 votes for the PN - was followed by two heavy defeats in 1998 and 2003.

As with the previous general election, the fallout from what happened within the Malta Labour Party in 1998 has once again damaged its chances at the polls in this election. It is evident that a good number of lost sheep that many believed had returned to the fold in reality remain lost to the MLP cause. A greater effort has to be made to bring back the lost sheep. How? That is what the MLP has to work on.

This is a difficult moment for all genuine Labourites, the moment of defeat. However, let us remember that we belong to a great political party that has contributed greatly towards a better future for all the Maltese. Looking back, the MLP has always emerged stronger and more united after difficult moments. Remember the great defeat of 1932 and the tremendous victory of 1947, the two consecutive defeats of 1962 and 1966 and the 1971 victory which led to so many socio-economic and political changes in Malta?

We shall rise again from the ashes of our dreams. The Malta Labour Party has a positive contribution to make to Malta's future as a European Union member country. My appeal to all Maltese is to now forget our differences so that we can all work united together for a better future for our country within the European Union.