Labour leader Joseph Muscat this morning presented what he described as a “formidable” team of 86 candidates.
Addressing a news conference, he said 48 per cent were contesting for the first time, 17 per cent were under 35 and 14 per cent were women.
The candidates, he said, came from all walks of life but they got together to bring about a change in direction. The PL, he said, was presenting the right mix between quantity and quality as well as a mix of veterans and newcomers.
Asked how tangible the PL’s proposals were since most involved the private sector, Dr Muscat said that he was sure that the private sector would be interested.
Businesses’ main complaint was that the government was suffocating them and a Labour government would be ready to work with them, encouraging them to invest and be creative.
He said he was proud that Labour was pro-business because this also meant that it was pro-jobs and pro-workers.
Asked about the cost of Labour’s proposals, Dr Muscat said that later on today the party would be holding a press conference during which it would be putting forward its economic model. This model would ensure that the promises being made would be delivered.
Dr Muscat was also asked what kind of candidate screening had been carried out. He said that all candidates had had to appear before a selection board. They were asked to present their criminal record and were questioned about their values. If they were homophobic, for example, they were sidelined.
The Labour leader confirmed that the PL was in contact with leaders of foreign socialist groups for them to back the Maltese Labour Party. “We are still the underdogs,” he said.
Asked about former deputy leader Anglu Farrugia’s resignation, Dr Muscat said Dr Farrugia had not been sacked but resigned because he shouldered the responsibility for something he said.
The PL’s door was still open for him and he hoped that in the coming months or years, the PL would be able to work with him, because he still had a valid contribution to give the party and the country.