Bartolo likens five contestants to fingers on a hand

The Labour Party needed to become more open and accept a variety of opinions, leadership contender Evarist Bartolo said yesterday.

Mr Bartolo said that in the same way as he had attended an activity organised by George Abela last week, he was at the meetings organised yesterday by the other contestants, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, Joseph Muscat and Michael Falzon.

In each activity he wished his colleagues success and said that rather than a person, it would be the party that would win Thursday's election for leader.

He wanted to be present at his colleagues' activities to show that the five were like the fingers of the same hand; they had to unite so that the party would grow stronger.

"Throughout my campaign I spread the word about the need to unite and I did my best to act according to what I believe in, without waiting for the June 5 election."

Mr Bartolo said that throughout his campaign, delegates stressed the need for unity but this wish needed to snowball so that the party could move from words to action.

For Labour to grow and be strengthened, it had to retain all those people who always voted for it while attracting those who used to vote for it but did not do so in the last election. It had also to attract those who had voted for EU membership as well as new voters of all ages and from all sectors of society.

For Labour to win, it had to develop a new culture of working together within the party and with Maltese and Gozitan society.

"We have to make better use of the talents and abilities which exist in the party and outside it so as to make Malta a better country."

Even when the party did not make the best use of its people's talents it won over 48 per cent of the votes cast, let alone if it worked together to seriously heal the wounds which had been opened during several episodes of its history.

"If we unite and grow stronger, we will definitely win," Mr Bartolo said.