Labour leader Joseph Muscat yesterday set off a 24-month countdown to the next general election, arguing that the biggest problem with the current government was its lack of clear direction.
“We are now at the halfway point. We’re closer to the next election than we are from the previous one. As the months progress we will see more lies and desperation from those who are detached from the people,” he said as he closed the party’s week-long general conference.
Past successful governments, he said, were always inspired by concrete goals which attracted the public’s enthusiasm: first for Malta to be free from British rule and then to become part of the EU – but this government seems to have no raison d’être. On the other hand, the Labour Party was fired up with positive energy to make Malta “the best in the EU”.
“The choice is between conservative and reactionary politics, typical of parties of the past or progressive politics, where we do not simply govern day-by-day but anticipate future problems,” he said, adding that his movement aspires to be “the voice of moderation and common sense”.
Admitting that the Labour Party used to be distracted by infighting, he said it was now bigger than ever, fully united and including people of all creeds. The party will spend the next year consulting the public to shape a five-year roadmap for Malta. Although this will take time, every promise made will be fulfilled.
“But let us not make the mistake of thinking we have already won,” he said, since there was lots more work to be done and the Labour Party had to prepare itself for the problems it would inherit once in government.
In a speech that lasted over an hour, he outlined all the problems troubling the government and addressed controversial issues like IVF, divorce and the underwater tunnel being proposed to link Gozo with Malta.
On IVF, Dr Muscat asked why the government wanted to reopen the “package” agreed upon by a parliamentary committee which was made up of two Nationalist MPs and one Labour MP, whose contribution had the party’s blessing.
The committee recommended regulation through embryo freezing but Health Minister Joe Cassar recently expressed disagreement and said Malta should go for the ethically more acceptable method of freezing oocytes (immature eggs).
Dr Muscat also reasserted his position in favour of divorce legislation, pointing out that he had a clear mandate to support this civil right but not to impose it on the party’s MPs or supporters. Not allowing his MPs and supporters to vote freely would be a sign of “intolerance” to other people’s beliefs, he said. However, he criticised the PN for preparing to take a stand and then giving a free vote. This, he said, was a “bad copy” of what Labour has consistently said it would do.
Dr Muscat said the underwater tunnel being proposed to link Gozo and Malta should be studied carefully and Gozitans should be at the centre of this decision, which, he pointed out, was originally proposed by the Labour Party in the 1970s.
However, he questioned the credibility of the proposal seeing as it had sprung up only 24 months before the next election.
He added that the government also lacked a clear direction on energy which was leading Malta to “the brink of a huge crisis”. Only eight months ago the government said a national gas pipeline was unfeasible but now it is considering it because the price of gas was going down while oil was becoming more expensive.
“So why didn’t you just invest in a gas-powered power station like we told you to,” Dr Muscat scorned.
Dr Muscat made it a point to say he was not averse to business and urged his party delegates to be happy for those who became rich through hard work because everyone stood to profit from their success. In fact, “social mobility” would be the core of Labour’s policies, he said.
He added that, while the PN could criticise him for the comments he made about how to encourage tourism during the unrest in north Africa, the party could definitely not accuse him of uttering a word against investment.
Dr Muscat also admonished the government for making a mockery of Parliament through the MPs’ honoraria issue and for dishonestly attacking his MPs George Vella and Joe Mizzi by claiming that they knew about the raise.
Eyeballing the cameras while concluding his keynote speech, Dr Muscat addressed his critics sternly: “Do your worst. I can take the hits. I will not stoop to your level.”
But in a lighter twist, a sound glitch occurred before the conference stood up for the national anthem and Dr Muscat asked everyone to sing a capella to his less than pitch-perfect vocals.