Why should the Labour Party consider George Abela for the leadership? He quarrelled with Alfred Sant and went away in dudgeon. He had every right to do that. But what did he do in the last election to help the party he now wants to lead?

The same applies to Alfred Mifsud.

They may be good men in their way, but their failure to aid the party in its hour of need, because of the resentment they felt against the party leader, must surely rule them out of the running for the leadership.

Had they lifted a finger to help in the election campaign, they could have helped overcome the meagre Nationalist Party majority.

Of course, had that been the result of the election it would have meant the end of their hopes of ever rejoining the Labour Party. So they held back, they did not help. They wanted Dr Sant out, to satisfy their personal feelings or ambitions. But wanting Dr Sant out, meant wanting the Labour Party to stay in opposition.

Now they want to lead it? Who wants that sort of leader?

Dr Sant can be proud of his record. He nearly turned Labour’s huge minority of 2003 into a majority, when all the media were rabidly against the MLP, except the party’s own, and the state-funded PBS was also biased heavily against Labour, even in the people who mount programmes which are merely propaganda machines making the men running them rich and fat.

There is democracy for you.

C. Galea

Rabat.