Labour in transition

The Malta Labour Party is going through a period of transition which is crucial for its future development. After two consecutive electoral defeats, one has to analyse its strengths and weaknesses in order to consolidate the positive aspects of the party and eliminate the negative ones. The year 2008 might seem far away at the moment but one has to start preparing for the next general election from now.

To understand the present state of the MLP, one has to go back a few years. The 1970s were the heyday of the MLP, the years of the great causes such as building a welfare state, the creation of the republic and the closure of the British military base.

When all this was achieved, the party went into a period of decline culminating in Dom Mintoff's exit as prime minister and the political instability of the 1980s. This led to the MLP, under Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, returning to the opposition benches in 1987 followed by a period of stagnation reaching its peak in the electoral defeat of 1992.

Then came Alfred Sant. He transformed the party, purging it of its violent hangers-on, building a new headquarters, strengthening the party's media and oozing a breath of fresh air welcome to so many floating voters. The result was the great electoral victory of 1996, a victory which was somewhat unexpected in the Labour ranks. Upon taking over the reins of the country, Dr Sant found an unwelcome surprise awaiting him : the poor state of the country's finances.

He had the courage to start tackling the country's alarming financial problem immediately. He implemented a number of necessary but tough measures that required sacrifices from the population. He also eliminated all traces of clientelism in the administration of the country, treating all Maltese alike. This brought him into conflict with some hard-core Labourites used to the old ways of government administration in this country.

Next came the clash with Mr Mintoff whose brand of old-type socialism was different to Dr Sant's modern "new Labour". The division within the party led to the electoral defeat of September 5, 1998. Perhaps nobody realised that the Nationalist Party had, on its own merit and since the period after October 1996, made significant gains among the voters who in 1996 had voted Labour. Many Labourites blamed Mr Mintoff for the 1998 electoral defeat, unaware of the PN's excellent "reaching-out" strategy among MLP voters.

The period from 1998 to 2003 was dominated by the European Union issue. Eddie Fenech Adami adroitly played the card of the noble cause of European integration to handsomely win the April 12, 2003, general election.

The MLP lost not only because of the micro issues, such as the media bombardment in favour of EU membership, but also because of the much more important macro issue: the movement towards European integration.

Perhaps not enough weight has been given to the fact that the MLP was at a severe disadvantage from the very beginning because its policy went against the process of political and socio-economic change in the rest of Europe. This does not imply that the MLP's position was wrong, it implies that it was bound to fail.

After April, 2003, the MLP started the necessary process of auto-criticism and self-renewal necessary to become a potent political force capable of winning the confidence of the majority of the population.

Dr Sant was confirmed as party leader. He deserves to remain at the helm of the party as he is the most capable to perform this role and is highly respected by all true Labourites.

With Charles Mangion and Michael Falzon as deputy leaders, the party is bound to change. These two are dedicated to making the party more inclusive and democratic, creating more space for those Labourites who want to work within the party.

The next important step is the delegates' choice of the party administration and executive. One has to be very careful here because it would be a false move to replace capable and experienced persons with other less capable and inexperienced contenders in order to make a clean sweep. The delegates' choice has to reflect the best interests of the party and nothing else.

If the MLP under Dr Sant can build excellent relations with the European Socialists and pursue positive domestic and foreign policies against the background of a more open and democratic party and a sustained "reaching-out" campaign among all sectors of the Maltese population, then I believe that the future belongs to Labour.