Bartolo cautions leadership candidates against creating rifts
Speaking at a meeting for Labour MPs, candidates, councillors and officials, Mr Bartolo said every candidate, including himself, enjoyed the support of different groups, and the MLP needed the support of all of them, and more, in order to achieve a majority in the country.
“We the leadership candidates must avoid instilling division, because in so doing we would not only be hurting ourselves, but we would be hurting the party and the thousands of people who support us," Mr Bartolo said.
"Anyone who wins the leadership contest as a result of division will find that it will be more difficult for the party to unite and win. And what use would it be for anyone to win if the party loses?”
Mr Bartolo observed that all the candidates were saying that the others were valid leadership material. Therefore, in the past few days he was disappointed by the fact that some had criticised the fact that he attended a reception hosted by George Abela, interpreting it as a political manoeuvre. His, Mr Bartolo said, was a gesture of civilty and decency.
He attended activities to which he was invited, without preference or discrimination, and he had therefore invited the candidates to this reception because he viewed them all as the fingers in the same hand.
In his address Mr Bartolo insisted that the Labour Party needed to attract new supporters, and it needed to appreciate and engage all the talents within it.
They needed to learn from the successes and the failures of the past while having an open mind for the future.
The party needed to heal the wounds of the past and the present while being careful not to create new ones, so that it could move forward as a united party growing stronger and able to win, Mr Bartolo said.
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m.portelli
May 24th 2008, 10:04
Well said in the true spirit of Labour. This should be what distinguishes true leadership This should be the true vision of the future. Seismic faults created by crass ambition shouldn't be applauded. I appeal to MLP leadership contenders and supporters to take some time out today and listen closely to Guze Ellul Mercer's beautiful ode to the true spirit of labour. That should remain firmly within our heart and mind not as a sentimental rallying song but as a true philosophy .
Frans Sammut
May 24th 2008, 09:22
Although I can understand Evarist's preoccupation with party rifts and all that, I do not really see this calamity taking place. Once the June 5 "race" is over, there is the "enemy" and its predicaments to keep us all united and compact. Just look at the horizon and the looming economic storm and you will see what I mean.In an "egotistic" sense, it is just as well for the MLP to have missed being elected to government. Government must now face the music and it will take more than ten DCGs to cover up for Government's past, present and (unstoppably) future mistakes. You can watch and wait.
George Cremona
May 23rd 2008, 23:53
Mr. Bartolo rightly said that his party "needed to attract new supporters" to its fold. But, due to the many rifts within the same party which are coming out into the public, the MLP is on one hand failing more than ever, even than the last general election, in attracting 'new supporters" and on the other hand it is succeeding in distracting old supporters from its fold. Their situation seems to be so critical, the divisions within the party are so wide and deeply rooted that no leader, whoever he may be, is going to succeed in reuniting the party.
J.C. Azzopardi
May 23rd 2008, 20:47
Evarist could not be more precise in what he has said. Rifts when created will leave a bad prolonged scar which may not heal with the passing of times. So i endorse his appeal and all contenders should avoid unwanted and unnecessary remarks, which may benefit the candidate but not the party, and in that way it is not the contestant who does not benefit, but the whole organisation.
People are not gullible nowadays, and they will easily identify those who create a scenario to impress. They will end up discarded. Good point Evarist. Candidates heed his words please.