From Mr E. Privitera

The question of whether the new Labour leader should be a very young one, or not so young one, is not important at all. What Labour needs is a leader who can beat Lawrence Gonzi at his own game – charisma and political astuteness, I will not add that the new Labour leader should also be capable of lying through his teeth when he knows that the truth is precisely the opposite. We have seen this happening time and time again throughout the last legislature, and more so during the election campaign. Who was telling the truth was accused of mud-slinging, while who was caught lying repeatedly, was depicted as a martyr!

The new Labour leader should be one who is ready to stand up to Dr Gonzi and his “minority” government when they try to steamroller the Opposition. The Labour Opposition now has a very powerful weapon in its hands – “Paring”. The new Labour leader should be ready to use this weapon to force the PN government to let go its stranglehold on the national broadcasting station – PBS – which it has turned practically into its own party station!

Labour should make the government reach a mutual agreement on the election of the Speaker of the House and the President of the Republic. To agree on legislation to control public spending on what is termed “information” but which is clearly political propaganda to help the party in power; to give just one example, that billboard “Budget Fis-Sod Ghalik” was pure and simple propaganda not information!

There are other areas where the new Labour Leader and the Opposition should insist on a level playing field if the government truly wants to be deserving of Labour’s cooperation in Parliament. The new Labour leader should also be capable of reaching out to all sectors and age groups of society, and make them feel comfortable working in or with a Labour government. This is the ideal leader Labour needs. Age does not really come into it!

Eddy Privitera

MOSTA