Muscat attributes far-right growth to members of the uniformed corps

Labour leader Joseph Muscat opined this afternoon that many of those who voted far-right in the European Parliament elections last Saturday were members of the uniformed forces and those on the front-line of the immigration issue who felt that mainstream political parties were not hearing them.

Speaking at a press conference this afternoon, Dr Muscat said the Labour Party wanted to hear these people in the same way as it wanted to hear all sections of society.

He said the party was committed to hearing the messages which the electorate conveyed on Saturday, not just those who voted PL or PN, but also those Labour sympathisers who did not vote.

Indeed, the party next Sunday would hold an open day at its headquarters in Hamrun to reflect this commitment.

Dr Muscat said he viewed last Saturday’s election result as a mandate for the PL to not only criticise, but to offer solutions, to make a leap of quality in the conduct of politics by reaching across the aisle in order to work in the national interest.

Dr Muscat said the satisfaction which politicians should derive should not stem from figures, but from improving the people’s quality of life.

This was not a victory which could be achieved by a political party, this was the victory of a growing movement which included many who never voted Labour before.

The people, he said, had shown through their vote that they were not satisfied with the situation in their country. The voters had done their duty and now it was the duty of politicians to understand and act according to that vote.

This, Dr Muscat said this was not a point of arrival, but a point of departure, with the ultimate aim being to improve living standards. In this context, he said, the announcement earlier this week that the Maltese economy shrank by over 3% in the first quarter was a major cause for concern, because it impacted on living standards and on jobs.