You had to be there to appreciate the feeling of fraternity and solidarity that filled the air during the three sessions of the last annual general conference of the Malta Labour Party.
This was another historic investment in the political portfolio of the party. This is how Labour presently works, and how it has worked throughout all its past, from the 1920s to today. The annual general conference is for us the culmination of months of hard work by the party’s executive, the administration, and the party’s rank and file. The party’s conference offers also the opportunity for measuring the accountability of its officials, whose reports are put to the floor for everyone to comment upon, criticise and approve, or caution.
However, what really generate enthusiastic interest at every meeting, are the open discussions on the documents which are presented to the conference. These are the foundations of the party’s future policies, be it in government, or in opposition.
To say that the party delegates reflect a cross-section of Maltese society is a fact. Furthermore, what all delegates also keep in mind is where the party came from, why it is there and where it is going. We are a mass party for all strata of society, progressive and forward-looking. We are a party that has the less fortunate at heart, and where in fact our politics start. Yet, we are also a party for everyone, and not for the few. We aim to create wealth for everyone, to improve the standard of living not for the few, but for all the Maltese and Gozitan families.
In reality, this might very well have been the last general conference before this legislature winds up. The feeling in the conference was in fact that an election might probably be called in 2007. Whatever happens, the party is preparing for such an eventuality, seriously and professionally. We have been preparing for this event for at least two years now, having started with the publication of the first document on social and economic regeneration. Our adversaries had originally over-ridiculed its publication and mounted a campaign to discredit whoever contributed to it. Things now, however, are clearly illustrating that we were correct in doing so.
The publication of this first document had generated a genuine forum for contribution and discussion, which has been unparalleled in Malta’s political history. The dialogue created was healthy, both for the party and for all the interested organisations and civil society. Indeed, this has been the prevailing activity in the party for these last two years. It is a genuine dialogue between the Labour Party (which is preparing actively for government) and civil society. Although these organisations are not always political in nature, they do have an interest both in the general political environment and the organisations’ particular interests. To this aim, our various documents have in fact been amended to reflect these discussions and to represent the opinion of those who participated in it.
The preparation of all these documents involved a long and laborious, yet fruitful process. This included several internal meetings and decisions. Party officials and volunteers researched the issues and tried to obtain as much feedback as possible in order to ensure the accuracy and validity of the documents even before their publication. Consultation was spread over, literally, hundreds of hours, but what has been achieved in this process has also been highly encouraging. The debate resulting from this process enabled genuine dialogue that led to better mutual understanding. The contact with civil society was indeed unparalleled.
Let me assure you that Labour is working hard to win the next general election and to give the Maltese an opportunity of better government. This we are seriously preparing for. The process of preparing the documentation of the relevant policies in the main areas of economics and social life, is now ready and the documentation has been approved. The policies in such documentation indicate the way forward for Labour in government. They make both the party and all those who participated in the process pleased with the results which this union has produced. This is how Labour does things. It is a party seriously open for meaningful and fruitful dialogue, which gives us all a union of purpose, the purpose of having a truly democratic government for all, not just the few.
A purpose of Labour being, not just an alternative government, but a better one!
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Dr Michael Falzon is the MLP Deputy Leader for Party Affairs