Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat is clearly setting out to calm the nerves of the thousands of Labour people who are simply unable to understand what exactly is happening within the party structure. With party delegates repeatedly throwing sand in their eyes, they fail to see the logic behind the election of Jason Micallef as general secretary, following the equally illogical election, at least as seen by many, of the party's two deputy leaders, Anġlu Farrugia and Toni Abela, when other, more politically suitable candidates had offered themselves for election to the posts.
Dr Muscat's latest column in this newspaper, Earthquake Warning shows he is quite aware of, and sensitive to, the concern expressed by so many over the outcome of these elections. He seems to be telling party supporters not to get unduly worried as he is about to usher in an internal re-organisation that would make the party "a modern organisation that reflects the aspirations of our society". However, his assurance would need to be immediately backed by tangible action as Labour supporters are still bewildered by the turn of events. They feel the party delegates are far removed from mainstream political thinking outside party structures, and consider their choices as a challenge to their feelings.
To Dr Muscat, the interest shown by the public and the media in the elections "confirms the relevance of Labour in our society". True, Labour had made itself unelectable through its confused policies and way of running the party and election campaigns, but did Dr Muscat think the party had also become irrelevant? This is what his comment indirectly implied, even though he could have hardly meant it. Of course, Labour has not become irrelevant, and it is in the country's interest that it should once again become strong and credible enough to compete for the electorate's trust.
Sensing the overwhelming negative reaction in the country to the outcome of the elections to administrative posts, Dr Muscat says the time for change in the party's organisation has come. He says he is convinced more than ever that Labour needs a deep reform in the way in which its structures work. He has in mind a series of wide-ranging changes, but gives no details except for his plan for the party to have a chief executive officer. He says the changes "will make Labour the most dynamic organisation in the national political spectrum and will show that we mean business". Time will tell.
The plan for the party to have a CEO is quite interesting, but will it be enough to appease the large number of Labour people disgruntled by the election to top party posts of persons generally seen as politically ill-suited? Dr Muscat is assuring all and sundry that the reforms he has in mind will be an "earthquake" in no uncertain terms. Well, the MLP needs an organisational "earthquake" badly.
Two problems that have been leading the party to successive election defeats are loss of direction and uninspiring leadership. It is not that the party has no politically qualified people to see it through this very bad patch; it has, but, surprisingly, it keeps sidelining them in preference to others who can only lead it once again to defeat in what matters most, the general election.