George Abela yesterday appealed to Labour delegates to vote for that person with the greatest chance of leading the party to victory in the next general election.
Addressing delegates at Ta' Ċenċ Hotel in Sannat in the last public activity of his campaign before the Labour leadership election on Thursday, Dr Abela revealed that he had tried to return to the party's fold in 2003/2004 but his help was refused.
"Use your head when you vote. The moment of truth has come. You choose the leader but the government is chosen by the people. So you have to consider what the people are saying," he told delegates.
"This is no longer an internal election, it has become a national one because we want to win the next election. So you have to look at who, of the five contenders, is the most capable of leading the party to victory.
"We have to take the Nationalist Party and Dr Gonzi (the Prime Minister and PN leader) head-on."
The government, he said, had only one leg to stand on and if delegates decided wisely, it would be at the losing end in the next election. Labour would show that it was a progressive, credible and consistent party - not a "no" party but one that had a credible and consistent leader.
"In everything we do, victory has to remain our main aim," he said.
Dr Abela warned delegates that they had a big responsibility. They knew the situation the party was in and what its needs were. The analysis of the electoral defeat brought out all the facts, some of which had already been known. This did not mean he wanted to point fingers. He only wanted to learn from the facts and move on.
He promised he would use the report as a road map for what needs to be done so that Labour would become the government of all Maltese and Gozitans.
The Labour Party had lost three consecutive elections and it had to change more than faces and names. It had to give a sign that it was no longer the party of defeat.
"We have to change the status quo. We are not happy the way we are, or to win by a hairline. We want to win the election by an absolute majority. This should be our aim and if we work together, we'll achieve it," he promised.
Dr Abela said that between 1992 and 1997, when he was involved in the party's administration, the party had a sense of security and confidence. If elected leader, he would re-instil it. Those who spoke about unity should have experienced it.
He again explained what had led to his resignation from the party in 1998, pointing out that it had not been possible for him to occupy the post of deputy leader when the party was going into an election he did not agree with. He believed the election would devastate Labour. Unfortunately, he was proved right.
He had felt Labour could not go for an election divided as it was, so he moved out of the party he had helped win the election and which he had always wanted to see victorious.
Since then, he had never uttered a word against the party but helped all those who had sought his help, remaining very loyal and active.
Dr Abela was introduced by Myriam Spiteri Debono, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who noted that Dr Abela was at the forefront as the alternative choice to Dr Gonzi according to the results of the surveys that had been held so far.