The new deputy leader of the Labour Party will create synergy between government and the party, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat said this evening.
He was addressing the party’s general meeting, which met to discuss an amendment the party’s statute to allow MPs to contest for the post of deputy leader for party affairs.
The amendment was approved with 392 votes in favour and one against.
Dr Muscat said organisations normally made changes when they were in crisis but, for better results, changes should be made before the need for them was felt.
“After two years in power, we can review ourselves and see where we stand,” he said.
Dr Muscat said that although party affairs should never be tangled with government business, there was a lack of synergy.
“The party and government should never be the same thing, but there should be a connection… Who we chose to replace Toni Abela has to build on what he has achieved and help us build a new party structure,” he said.
The party had to be modern and one that foresaw the future before it arrived.
There had to be a structure that understood that people changed and that made people feel part of a movement and not part of a traditional party. It had to be a structure that understood the need for social media as some people would not go to the party or attend its meetings.
It had to be a structure that would allow the party to remain the most relevant party for the next 10 years.
Dr Muscat said: “We need to get out of our comfort zone…. The last time we did that was in 2008… We are approaching that need again.”
He showered praise on Dr Abela within whom, he said, he had found a strong shoulder to lean on.
“A friend who tells you what he thinks and gives it to you straight… whose honesty and integrity cannot be besmirched. He's a hard act to follow.”
Dr Muscat said that trying to link Dr Abela to llicit activities was "disgusting" and the PN's post defeat report acknowledged this was a shortcoming.
The Prime Minister said that, in recent months, Dr Abela said that he was tired and that he should step down. “I used to say that he would leave with me and Louis. But I think he deserves it.”
He then gave Dr Abela a long hug.
Dr Abela said that just as he saw that it was time for him to leave, the party also saw that it was time to change.
Nominations for the party’s new deputy leader open tomorrow and close on Tuesday. Energy Minister Konrad Mizzi has been touted as Dr Abela’s most likely replacement.