Labour deputy leader Toni Abela says his party is undergoing the changes he advocated 20 years ago. It does not matter if the party shifts towards the right to rally support.

The Labour Party executive has just voted to eliminate the role of general secretary. Has the move given Joseph Muscat more power?

No. I think it forms part of Dr Muscat's first promise and declaration when he was elected party leader that there would be radical changes in the party.

Could it have been the case that he couldn't find the right man to take on the job?

No, I wouldn't say so. If you look at the amendments, I have actually been doing many of the roles that have been given to me for the past one-and-a-half years. He found it better to assign to me the role of deputy leader for party affairs, where I could take care of local committees, local councils and the management of the administration, for example.

So basically there was no purpose for the role of general secretary.

It's basically a reaffirmation of what has been happening in the party for the past one-and-a-half years.

How is your role going to change within the Labour Party?

We're trying to streamline the party posts. I'm going to have much more work to do.

Critics are asking how a major party can operate without a general secretary. Former Nationalist Party general secretary Joe Saliba said it is the first time he has heard about a party operating without one.

He has never heard about it because he doesn't know the history of the Labour Party. Before, the general secretary's role in the PL was strictly an administrative one. What's in a word? Now we have a secretary for the executive committee of the party and the administration.

How are the party grassroots reacting to the fact that the administration is trying to entice traditional Nationalist supporters to vote Labour?

We've explained to them that if we want to grow it's no use trying to keep the party to ourselves. In order to have this popular growth, to get the maximum number of votes in the coming election we must show that we do not only represent the grassroots but a good section of the Maltese population, people who aren't traditional Labourites.

But should political parties only contest to win elections? Whatever happened to traditional values and beliefs? Who does the Labour Party represent? Is it still a leftist party?

The Labour Party has always represented a big sector of the population, not just the workers. It's important that this political demarcation between the two parties remains.

However, that doesn't mean the PL only stands for a particular sector of the population. Dr Muscat has always made it known that we support employers. We need their investment in the economy. We need a good employers' organisations. We need to support those investing their money. Dr Muscat has always underlined the need to strike a balance between workers and their employers.

Do you honestly believe you can appease everybody?

In order to move on in life, you need to bring together the two sides to discuss issue. Obviously, at times you have to take decisions, and when they are taken, they have to be taken firmly.

Politics is about taking tough decisions. If you're trying to appease everybody you are unlikely to do that.

It's not about appeasing. It's about finding the right formula to do justice with everybody.

Isn't it better to put your cards on the table and from now say what the Labour Party really stands for? Wouldn't it be better to say, for example, that the PL will protect workers, promote social services and tax the rich, so that come the next election people really know what they're voting for?

The election will take place in three years' time. The Labour Party is still formulating its policies but we're taking into consideration the needs and aspirations of all sectors of Maltese society. It's not easy to strike a balance between workers and employers.

Is Labour trying to morph the party into another version of the Nationalist Party?

No, not necessarily so. The distinctive political mark of the Labour Party always remains the worker. That doesn't mean we exclude any other sector of the population. We have to support employers to generate wealth.

Do you deny that the Labour Party has had no choice but to shift more towards the centre, possibly even to the right, to the extent that the Labour Party is even using certain slogans that were used by Eddie Fenech Adami?

The same can be said about the (British) Conservative Party, which has moved towards the centre, and even to the left. We're living in a world where wealth no longer creates a divide between the very rich and very poor. The truth lies somewhere in between. If that means us moving towards to the centre, and a bit to the right, then so be it.

You've been involved in the PL for several years. How would you describe the difference between the three leaders - Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Alfred Sant and Joseph Muscat?

Each one of them led the party in different circumstances. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici was leader when the Labour Party wasn't in a healthy political situation. He behaved according to circumstances. Alfred Sant did wonders to rejuvenate the party with the building of the new headquarters and the creation of the party media. Everyone was saying Dr Sant was the man at the time.

Obviously, circumstances changed, and Dr Sant changed accordingly. And now we have Dr Muscat - he is young, fresh, but notwithstanding his age I find him politically mature. I am saying this because I deal with him on a daily basis.

If you had to select one leader whose vision is in line with yours who would you opt for?

I would opt for Dr Muscat. He is a very liberal thinker. He is quite vociferous about civil rights, a subject I have written about. More than that, I found him to be liberal in a sense that he never intrudes in your work. He fully trusts those he believes in and I'm proud to say I'm one of them.

What's the main difference between Dr Muscat and Dr Sant?

Dr Muscat is much more in tune with the times. Dr Sant, due to several electoral defeats, was a completely different person. Character-wise, Dr Muscat is much more open. Dr Sant is a profound intellectual but he was not that open.

Did you feel comfortable working with Dr Sant?

Yes... once you get to know his character. He was an amiable person. (But) at times he was quite sure of himself and quite sure of the decisions he was going to take - and he was a bit difficult to convince otherwise.

And one of those decisions, of course, was EU membership. After five years of membership, do the party grassroots feel completely comfortable with the EU?

The party grassroots have now adjusted to the fact that Malta is an EU member, and that we are there to stay.

Are they comfortable with it, or is it just a matter of distributing EU flags to them during a mass meeting?

I know people from the other party who aren't comfortable with the EU. Labour's grassroots have adjusted to the fact that Malta is in the EU. I have also been surprised by the number of people I meet who are asking why we aren't pressing enough to tap more EU structural funds. They are so enthusiastic about membership that they feel they are being let down because we're not doing our utmost to obtain the best results.

How would you describe your own views about the EU? In 2003 you had said you were more in tune with the Campaign for National Independence than with Labour's stand on Europe. The CNI is anti-EU and still maintains we should withdraw.

The EU is there to stay. Since 2003, when the Maltese electorate decided to vote in favour of EU accession, it was a decision which had to be respected. Even if you had a different opinion, you have to respect the people's decision.

If anyone had to suggest that Malta is to withdraw from the EU, notwithstanding my past views, I would be the first to say it isn't the right decision.

Do you regret making certain statements then?

It's not about regretting, because you have to take into account the context of the circumstances prevailing at the time when the comments were made. That's what I thought then. We have to respect the popular expression of the people.

You militated in Alternattiva Demokratika and your values appear to be pretty much in tune with the Greens. Would you favour a merger between AD and Labour especially now that Alternattiva has a new leader?

No, I don't. It's impossible. AD stands for one thing, Labour for another. I think the political impact of Alternattiva is better if it remains on its own as a party.

Many would say that the 'liberal', 'progressive' statements being bandied about by both parties are similar. (New AD chairman) Michael Briguglio's views are clearly very left-leaning. Can't these two parties merge for what would ultimately be to Labour's benefit?

No. For the nation's benefit they should remain separate.

So do you exclude any potential relations between the two parties come the next general election?

It depends. We can share the same arguments, but at party level it's different. Let's remember there were times when AD shared the same views as the PN.

On a personal level, you are now Labour's deputy leader and open to scrutiny... You are impulsive and brash...

...That's the impression they give of me.

So who is the real Toni Abela?

I'm a different person in my personal life. I'm into literature and the arts. I'm into classical music and classical literature.

Do you put up an act when you're in front of a crowd?

Every time I speak I firmly believe what I'm saying. It doesn't mean I don't change my opinions. The things you say when you're 21 are different to the things you say at 52. The media will pick on comments I made 20 to 25 years ago, but people change.

Do you think that accusations that Toni Abela represents old Labour are unjustified?

Of course they are. I've been talking about the reforms that the party is currently undergoing since 1989. Everybody forgets that in 1989 I was expelled from the Labour Party because I was hammering on the need for radical reforms.

I was criticising the Labour Party because of the violence and corruption. I pledged that once these aspects were eradicated from the party and once there was a true commitment that these two things would never happen again, I would return to the party. And here I am today.

How do you feel about the fact that the Nationalist media singles out yourself and Anġlu Farrugia as being a weight around Joseph Muscat's neck?

I disagree with them but I respect their views. I have a lot of Nationalist friends. Obviously the media sometimes spin the characteristics of a person in a negative manner. Those who know me closely know I'm not the Toni Abela they project me to be.

There are comments that you and Anġlu Farrugia have been keeping a relatively low profile in recent months. Have you been given orders to remain quiet and let Joseph Muscat be the only face of the Labour Party?

When I took over this post I promised myself that this is a political mission, not another job. I'm going to stick to my promise. It's not important how many times I appear in the media. What's important for me is the work I do in the party. I spend quite a good number of hours every day trying to help, giving my best to the party.

Everyone knows I'm working hard at it and I truly hope that at the end of the day my aims are achieved. It's not important for me to have a high profile. What's important is to reach a political objective.

You were expelled from the party 20 years ago and you are now its deputy leader. Do you feel it's sweet revenge?

No, there's nothing of the sort. I've had quite an unorthodox experience. I've always been a bit different to others. For example, I'm not after a parliamentary seat because I've always believed when you want to do good politics it doesn't mean you have to do it in Parliament.

In Malta, especially, I believe good politics and ideas have to come from those people who don't run for a parliamentary seat, especially when it comes to the organisational aspect of the party. This post is giving me the right tools to deliver what I have always thought to be important to Maltese politics.

With the changes taking place in the Labour Party, is it geared towards a major victory in the next election?

It's too early to say. Humility is one of the most important things in politics. When I announced the results of the European Parliament elections last June I said it was only a victory, but not the victory. Politics in Malta can change overnight. I always say we won't know where our electoral fortunes stand until the results are coming out.

Do you think the Labour Party lacked humility in the past?

Yes, I think the Labour Party did lack political humility in the past, something which is now happening to the party in government. When you're in government sometimes you don't realise that the people have put you in a position to govern the country. At times we forget that we are there acting on behalf of people. When you spend too long in government you start acting on behalf of yourself. And that is lack of political humility.

Do you believe the Labour Party needs to secure some more traditional Nationalists, perhaps even heavyweights from the past, to secure an election?

If we succeed in doing that, I don't think it's a bad thing. If traditional Nationalists feel more comfortable in the Labour Party, they are welcome.

Watch excerpts of the interview on www.timesofmalta.com.