The Malta Labour Party will today go to the ballot once again to elect a secretary general. Much is at stake for the MLP.

It only seems like yesterday that Joseph Muscat, George Abela and Michael Falzon were slugging it out in a campaign to be elected leader of the Malta Labour Party. The elections to be held today and tomorrow have been a far more low-key affair, with the only notable manoeuvrings coming at the 11th hour.

The first revelation was that Gino Cauchi and Joe Chetcuti pulled out of the race. The official reason was that they realised that the support they had drummed up was scant. But there could be something more to it.

Two senior Labour Party figures have said that the party should not seek the re-election of incumbent Jason Micallef and this could have led to these two people (Cauchi and Chetcuti) to drop out of the race. With the current system as it is, it is the first person past the post who is elected secretary general. The two figures could have believed that staying in the race would mean putting the party’s well-being in jeopardy – or they could have even thought along the lines of Mr Micallef’s critics, in that their standing for election would help his re-election.

All in all, they are to be commended – first of all for having the guts to withdraw – and secondly in doing so for what they believe are the right reasons. One surely cannot scold or think wrong of them if their actions were taken out of loyalty to the MLP.

Alfred Grixti and dark horse Joe Vella Bonnici definitely gained from the withdrawal of the two candidates, but there is still the Keith Grech factor. He is a relative unknown – but with the system as it is – any votes he’s given could affect the whole race.

In the meantime, the campaign against Mr Micallef was turned up a notch yesterday. It was Leo Brincat who urged the MLP to not vote for the incumbent and this was followed up at the 11th hour by former deputy leader Michael Falzon in a seven-page email.

The exchange of this email was reported by the web-based site of a local newspaper which in turn roused former secretary general Jimmy Magro to comment on Mr Micallef. It was not pretty and the party gave Mr Micallef the go ahead to issue the statement to rebut his allegations.

With the deputy leaders being who they are – not an exact fit to Joe Muscat – the party should seek to balance the boat. Both Toni Abela and Anglu Farrugia are part of the old guard and will not harmonise the party. What the party now needs – as we have said in previous editorials – is a sensible CEO that can bring unity, coherence and a sense of direction. Who the party will choose remains to be seen. Mr Micallef has much to be criticised about – especially his handling of the last general election result. But it is of this newspapers’ opinion that such wheeling and dealing (the 11th hour comments), is precisely what the party needs to do away with. Infighting and sniping is never going to win the party votes. The race is on and it looks like it’s going to be a close podium finish.