The Labour Party is not a coalition of the disgruntled but one of people with a vision for this country, leader Joseph Muscat told his supporters yesterday evening.

As he thanked them for giving him the “honour and privilege” to radically change the party that was “in pieces” after the slim 2008 electoral defeat, he said he had the will, energy and determination to change the country as he had changed the party.

Addressing the last Taħt it-Tinda event of the campaign in Fgura, Dr Muscat resisted being overcome by emotion as he spoke about his vision for the party five years ago, what he had achieved and his aspirations for the country.

“With the exception of a short period in 1996, the last time people trusted the Labour Party was in 1976, when I was two years old,” he said at the beginning of his speech in which he outlined the way the party used to be and what it had now become after dropping “barriers and walls” that had hindered communication with people.

“We changed by, firstly, admitting our mistakes. This is not a sign of fragility but an important sign of strength. We opened up our doors and there is no us and them anymore. This movement became people’s natural home...

“We are ambitious for our country. We have great aspirations. We are guilty of being ambitious and we are capable of making Malta the best in Europe,” he said in an emotive speech.

He continued: “We are serene because we know we told the truth, we spoke our minds, we shared our vision and we are convinced that the people will take the right decision. Saturday is an important day but is a day like any other. It will be just the point of departure and the beginning of a long road to achieve our dreams.”

Dr Muscat appealed to voters to be protagonists and be on the right side of history by trusting Labour with their vote.