Saturday, 3rd May 2008 - 20:30CET
Muscat wants Malta 'best in the EU'
Labour leadership candidate Joseph Muscat said this evening that he wanted to see Malta as being "the best in the European Union."
Addressing a large meeting of party delegates, members and supporters from the first, eighth and ninth districts, Dr Muscat said he was not interested in the past which caused division, but a future which brought unity.
The Labour Party, he said, needed to have the courage to be confident of the future. The party should win the next general election not because the people felt the PN had been in power for too long, but because they had confidence in Labour.
Dr Muscat said that once the leadership contest was over, the MLP needed to close ranks. Should he be elected, he would offer central roles to the other candidates.
He said his aim was to build a movement of progressive and moderate forces who would work to make Malta the best in the European Union. Malta needed to achieve higher, European, standards in areas such as health care, where people deserved to be given the best care without having to wait long for it.
The people, he said, were fed up of politicians who did not deliver and did not take decisions.
The activity, at the MFCC at Ta' Qali, was addressed by, among others, former Foreign Minister and deputy leader George Vella and gynaecologist Mark Sant.
Mr Sant made the point that he was a labourite who had voted for EU membership but was now backing Dr Muscat as someone who knew how the EU institutions worked and had a long-term vision for the future.
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Comments
You ( and perhaps me including) are euro - converters (no, not that calculator gadget) but finally we saw the light that our islands' place is in the heart of the European Union. I admire you for your goals, though you know my vote, if I am given the chance as a paid up member , which for the sake of our party democratic credentials let us have the courage to be one step forward on the Nationalist Party, will go to some one else.
But yes Joseph, in a way you are following always what former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff , the great Dom, always told us: Malta l-ewwel u qabel kollox. Your slogan for trying to be the best in European Union is a big challenge, but united together we might made great strides.
Thanks once again for confirming that if you are elected leader, you will utilise the talent of the other contenders. Maybe the trouble is, that there are certain elements which show hatred to some of the leadership contenders and you could easily sense that from their remarks.
Come on, let us come to our senses and once the June 5 leader election is over, we vow that; one for all and all for one in the best interest of the party and welcome everybody on board.
And yes let us start so that in a convincing way we effect the right changes to be the natural party and government for all the people of malta and gozo. Please let us forget of trying to win by default, we should convince the 2013 electorate ( will I still be here?) that malta's future is with Labour. Forget the 'bidu gdid' etc philosophy. Let us give credit to whom it is due, while still being a credible opposition, and carry on to make Malta ' the best in the european union'. It sounds a bit bombastic, but where there is a will there is a way, no matter how challenging it might seem.
June 5, 2008, should be the day for a fresh start to the MLP with a bang.