A unique and historic opportunity is at hand for the Labour Party to achieve participatory democracy from its grass roots.
The party has to adopt a new clause that allows all paid-members to vote and participate actively in the election for a new party leader. This can be done if the will and hope for real reform is sought by the administration.
It is unreasonable for anyone to say that the party statute does not allow this. This can be easily changed. The Labour Party needs a leader who appeals to the majority of the masses. And what better way than to open the voting to all party members?
Interested candidates can put down their names for the vacancies open to them, have equal opportunities on the party media, air their views for one and all to evaluate and decide. People are very capable of evaluating and making up their minds without any pressure.
Labour is a strong party. It has half the population behind it. It has 34 seats in Parliament and it is only thanks to the democratic ways that the Labour Party adopted that the Nationalist Party is now in government. The Prime Minister has announced that during this term the Government has a lot of work to do in Brussels.
The Labour Party has to agree on the pairing system. Otherwise the Government cannot work properly. So the Labour Party is in a very strong position to see that there is seriousness, accountability and good governance. Inquires on past and present issues are not forgotten but properly looked into by independent bodies.
During the last Budget debate, George Vella said that laws are being passed in Brussels which affect Malta but these are never debated in our Parliament.
Only ministers and parliamentary secretaries are classified as full-timers, the other MPs are regarded as part-timers. Is it also time to go one step further and have a full-time Parliament with full professionals? Let us look forward to having a more professionalism in more ways than one.
Let us open our doors for more transparency and truly have a participatory democratic system.