Labour delegates react positively to CEO idea

Labour leader Joseph Muscat's proposal to handpick a CEO has gone down well with a number of party delegates contacted by The Times, even though the choice of who will fill the post is not in their hands.

The majority of delegates contacted welcomed the idea and shrugged off the suggestion that the move undermined their position in the party, being the ones who elect the administration.

The delegates questioned for this "vox pop" were chosen on the basis of their different allegiances during the leadership race but their views are not necessarily representative of the rest of the delegates.

Dr Muscat last week announced that he planned to appoint a CEO who would manage the structure of the party, a move which would in effect downsize the role of the general secretary and redefine the elected posts within the party.

He will be calling on the National Executive to call an Extraordinary General Conference next month to implement a series of wide-ranging changes.

Christian Gauci, one of the delegates, believes the idea of a CEO is good and he fully supports it. He feels certain people have been elected for their political qualities not their managerial capabilities, so this was a good move.

"I don't have a problem that the CEO is handpicked. The leader should have the ability to push forward his policies and certain decisions may need to be taken swiftly," he said.

"There may be those who feel it's a sign of mistrust but (former British Prime Minister) Tony Blair did something similar and won - this could be our ticket to victory," Mr Gauci said.

Alex Sciberras echoed the sentiment and said that Dr Muscat was starting to deliver what he promised - an earthquake of change.

"I feel the path he's proposing we embark on is the right one. To a certain extent the post of CEO will be more managerial in style. I support the move 100 per cent," he said.

"I welcome the fact that he will select the person. From what I can understand the CEO will be an overseer of operations, not the one taking the decisions. Decisions on policy will remain in the hands of the executive. As delegates we'll still have an important say in the party's future," Dr Sciberras said.

Alfred Mazzitelli, who described himself as a loyal Labour supporter, said the party came before the individual. However, he welcomed Dr Muscat's proposal as he felt several delegates had voted with their heart and not their mind because Jason Micallef (re-elected as general secretary) was their friend.

Pauline Miceli too was all for the introduction of a CEO as she felt there should be more congruency within the party.

"As a leader he has a right to take these decisions," she stressed.

Another delegate, who wished to remain anonymous, was also in favour.

"If we want to move forward and modernise, I believe this proposal will be healthy for the party. It makes sense. Anyway, the leader is elected to the post to lead us forward and I'm all for it," he said.

"It does not bother me that the leader will personally choose the CEO. I believe people in certain positions need a bona fide person on whom they can rely. What is the point of choosing a leader if you don't trust him to lead you forward?" he asked.

Another couple of delegates raised similar arguments and welcomed the move. One of them pointed out that the leader had to please floating voters, not loyal delegates, so a CEO could help him achieve his goals.

A lone dissenter questioned the need for a CEO when the party already had two deputy leaders and a general secretary.

"In my opinion, it's merely squandering party resources. If you look at the Nationalist Party they have the general secretary who runs the show. Will the new post lead to more confrontations, I wonder?"