Sunday, 20th April 2008
MLP leadership election
Petition may open door for members to vote
Labour's next leader might be chosen by the party's members - rather than just its delegates - after a petition circulated in recent weeks received enough support to prompt an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the matter.
Some 120 of the 900 delegates who are expected to vote for the leadership have signed the petition, which calls for an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) to discuss a motion to permit paid-up MLP members to vote for the next MLP leader along with the delegates.
This is more than the 10 per cent required by the party statute to force an EGM. Interestingly, the extraordinary meeting might coincide with the conclusion of the report that was commissioned to analyse Labour's third successive electoral defeat last month.
The idea to broaden the voter base beyond the delegates was first mooted publicly by George Abela, before he announced he was standing for the leadership. However, there had already been a movement within the party lobbying for such a change. One of the main activists behind the petition, Marlene Pullicino, said the initiative was not connected with Dr Abela's bid, even though she made no secret of her support for the former deputy leader.
"I think that Dr Abela is the man who is able to build the bridge with the critical mass of voters who, so far, have never felt they could vote Labour for some reason or other. That doesn't affect the reason why we should have this change," she said.
"I believe that all the candidates who have put their name to the race so far are valid individuals with very good qualities. I think that whoever is chosen will be in a stronger position if chosen through an election that takes into account the opinion Labour's wider membership. It will also kill all this talk of cliques," she said.
The petition will be presented tomorrow or Tuesday to the party's national executive which will then consider the request and act accordingly. The motion should then be discussed at an EGM before the June 5 leadership election and voted upon by the delegates.
The proposal was discussed by the executive when the leadership election dates were decided on March 18, but received a lukewarm reception.
Labour insiders had told The Sunday Times that the biggest hurdles to implement the change at this point in time - which would be a first in Maltese political history - were of a logistical nature, particularly as the party knew that a number of its members were also simultaneously members of the Nationalist Party.
Nonetheless, on this point, Dr Pullicino said that it did not really matter if there were a number of members who felt at home in both parties.
"We need to appeal to a section of people who have voted for the Nationalist Party, anyway. We've moved on from 20 years ago. The parties today are very close to each other and both shift towards the centre, centre-left, I would say, so I don't see the problem."
Moreover, the EGM would also have to discuss a cut-off date to avoid having people registering as members simply to be able to vote in this election - and therefore potentially opening the door to abuse.
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Comments
Hope that the National Executive will now see more sense in the proposal and shift from the lukewarm reception it was reported to have been given when initially it was put forward for discussion.
Talking of logistics problem in 2008 is beyond my understanding, after years of boasting that the MLP had all the structures in place to win power.
How could we sideline such a confusing position. If attention was not taken at the right time, please be responsible and do not expect us paid-up members to pay for it.
Come on, give the paid-up members a chance. If no solution can be found to remedy the present situation, it does give nobody any right to debar us paid up members from casting our vote to chose the person whom we feel is the best to lead the Party in the coming years.
After all in the general elections, the MLP does not concentrate on the die-hards only for its votes. It try to reach a wider spectrum. So why not set the pass for the 2013 general elections?
Time flies and 2013 is not that far. All the five contenders for the leader of the MLP, I think ,do realize that there is still a lot to be done to win the heart’s of those who so far do not look so favorably at our party.
We will not win them all, but if we are consistent and clear in our strategy, there is quite a number who might cross the bridge and come on our side to have MLP returned to power in 2013.
But charity begins at home, and the contest for the new MLP leader should be a convincing example, with the joint participation of delegates and paid-up members.