When Joseph Muscat was elected Labour Party leader on June 6, 2008, he inherited a party that was utterly demoralised after three electoral defeats. I vividly remember those dark days when it seemed that the Labour Party had no future and that the Nationalist Party was the “natural choice” to run country. It was even more difficult because Labour had been expected to win the 2008 election but lost by the slimmest of margins.

Then Muscat came along and he started preaching a message of hope, of a new start, one that appealed to all Labourites, shell-shocked as we were in those days. The first thing he did was put youths in key posts within the party, youths who were young enough not to be associated with the defeats of the past. They were full of energy and enthusiasm and their vibrant activism had a positive effect on all within the party.

Muscat has always been a no-nonsense kind of person and he addressed a very important and serious deficiency within Labour: internal divisions. Tolerating no discord, he unified the party under his strong and determined leadership. Then, the building alliances with powerful social groups and the reaching out to all levels of Maltese society, culminated in an extremely efficient and appealing electoral campaign. He won a landslide electoral victory in 2013.

That victory changed not only the Labour Party but also the face of Malta. The extent of Muscat’s victory and the utter humiliation of the Nationalist Party meant that the Labour Prime Minister was emboldened enough to effect changes, which few would have dared to dream of before.

First of all, Labour became a hybrid of different political ideologies. While it remained leftist in social policy, its economic policy veered to the right. The Labour government worked hand in hand with businessmen. “Pro-business” became a cornerstone of all its policies.

While this has meant that Labour increased its support from a section of the population which had not always trusted it in the past, it has also reaped dividends in boosting the economy. We have also seen measures enacted that have bettered the life of all sections of society, from young children to pensioners. All this together with a sustained effort to eradicate all forms of discrimination within our society.

Although Muscat consolidated his position at the head of the Labour Party and as national leader by another landslide victory at the 2017 election, this was overshadowed by the Panama Papers controversy. This event damaged the image of the Labour government, a great pity considering the vast progress registered in Malta.

Then came the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia which worsened the already negative, albeit very unfair, perception of the Labour government.

The Panama Papers controversy and the Caruana Galizia assassination brought out the best qualities of leadership in Muscat. One has to admire the way he mobilised the party behind him and the way he skilfully steered the government through treacherous waters.

Of course, one has to stress the fact that not one shred of evidence has ever been produced that implicates Muscat in any form of corruption or wrongdoing. This is very important to note. Also, the will and the aim to improve good governance seem to be there.

Labour became a hybrid of different political ideologies. While it remained leftist in social policy, its economic policy veered to the right

Muscat has also been lucky in the fact that his political opponents during his leadership of the Labour Party have always been in a very weak position. He became party leader in the days when Lawrence Gonzi’s position as PN leader started weakening day by day, at a time when many people started feeling that the PN in government was past its expiry date, resulting in the 2013 Labour landslide.

Then came Simon Busuttil who was a total failure as PN leader. Utterly negative in his approach and concentrating mainly on the issue of corruption, he easily played into Muscat’s hands, with the result that not only did Busuttil not cut Labour’s lead but actually improved it and suffered a humiliating defeat at the 2017 election.

Adrian Delia is a different kettle of fish. He would have been a worthy opponent had the party he leads not been divided into two factions.

All this has led to a situation where the Labour Party is virtually unchallenged in Malta and Muscat can concentrate on the business of government without worrying too much about winning electoral battles. Still, he has to start planning from now for the time when he will no longer be around.

Given the present situation, Chris Fearne is probably the most ideal person to take over the leadership in the future, given that he has a very positive track record, is respected by all and is fast gaining valuable experience in leading a government, being Muscat’s deputy.

A decade after becoming leader, Muscat also has to start thinking about his legacy. He will leave behind him a different and much more prosperous Malta, citizens with a higher standard of living, and a society with much less social discrimination.

However, he has to be careful that he will not also be remembered for such things as the destruction of Malta’s beautiful environment, including parts of our historical heritage. In my opinion, this is the one area where Muscat can significantly improve the performance of the government.

The rampant overdevelopment that there is at present in Malta has to be stopped. We need more law enforcement and more protection of citizens’ rights. No more absolutely pathetic excuses such as the lack of staff makes it impossible to enforce the law as desired.

The goodwill is there, let’s move on and take the bull by the horns. Today, not tomorrow.

Desmond Zammit Marmarà is a Balzan Labour councillor.