The battle for the post of Malta Labour Party leader, as predicted by The Malta Independent last Wednesday, will not only involve people who are already within the party, but also others who had left for various reasons.

One of the names indicated by this newspaper in an article about the race for the MLP leadership was Alfred Mifsud who, together with former MLP deputy leader George Abela, was named as one of the possible contenders for the post, even though they no longer form part of the party structure.

Mr Mifsud has now made it clear that he would not shy away from the post, if the party seeks his services. He had severed his ties with the party after clashes with outgoing leader Alfred Sant, and had said that he would not re-consider his position with Dr Sant still head of the party.

In an article that is being published in this newspaper today on page 6, Mr Mifsud writes that the MLP must now “no longer abuse the loyalty of the party delegates by pushing candidates for leadership with a minimalist approach to change. The only criterion that should guide Labour in choosing its new leader, indeed its new leadership, is the likeability of the chosen persons to as large a majority of the population as possible. Only this can translate itself into Labour’s next victory.”

Mr Mifsud goes on to write: “With very, very minor exceptions, few people within the current Labour set-up can pass this test and it is imperative that the leadership decision is well considered and not rushed to exclude those candidates, the undersigned included, who showed their loyalty to the party by leaving rather than by staying on to participate in the betrayal of Labour’s own interest.”

Mr Mifsud is therefore strongly hinting that he would be interested in filling the post vacated by Dr Sant. The race is, however, still in its early days and more candidates are likely to come forward by the time the nominations open.

Apart from Mr Mifsud and Dr Abela, this newspaper last Wednesday mentioned current deputy leader Michael Falzon, MEP Joseph Muscat and MP Marie Louis Coleiro as potential candidates.