The much-awaited people’s verdict is now known. A wafer-thin majority for gonzipn, but enough to secure another mandate for the coming legislature. Despite all predictions and expectations, the Labour Party, for the third consecutive time, finds itself on the opposition benches.

The disillusion, disappointment, frustration and bitterness among all those who believed in a Labour victory at the polls are rife. Many party activists, who have wholeheartedly worked hard and bravely during the past months, are momentarily feeling that the task to meet the most prime objective, to pass the crucial test and win the general election, is becoming more and more knotty.

So what went wrong? Despite focusing mostly on actual cases of gross and grass incompetence, corruption, arrogance, nepotism, cliques, abuse of power, deception and a weakening standard of living, still by a few hundreds of votes a relative majority of people preferred the PN to the MLP.

Why? Could it be the case that most people benefited directly from all the above “negative” attributes? Do the people approve cases of corruption, arrogance and abuse of power? No. The vast majority of people want a clean, efficient public administration that administers public funds justly and with equity. A glance at those from the previous Nationalist parliamentary group, including some heavyweights, who did not make it this time round, would simply confirm this.

Notwithstanding all efforts by the Pieta’ gurus to tag the consistent allegations of corruption by the Labour Party as mud-slinging, still, the evidence brought forward leaves no room for equivocal interpretation. Most of the cases mentioned during the electoral campaign were not only clamorous but also scandalous.

Most Labour supporters are still puzzled with the result and are lost as if they do not know what hit them! So what went wrong? The content? Communication? Style? Trust? Too much reliance on the fact that the PN have been too long in power? Democratic deficit? Wrong interpretation of people’s aspirations and expectations? Lack of penetration with whole sectors of the electorate (especially first time voters and middle class voters)? Character assassination? A strong alliance of social organisations that somehow is very suspicious of the Labour Party? A hostile media?

How come that a party that has been in power for 20 years and running a terrible scaremongering campaign manages to secure another term in office? Equally, how come that a party that has been for almost 20 years in opposition does not manage to persuade the majority of the electorate that it can perform a much better job?

Definitely it is a healthy exercise for the party to conduct a post mortem, and to seek plausible answers to all the above questions. It is a healthy exercise that the party strives not only to search for the real reasons for this state of affairs, but also to conduct a soul searching exercise that will lead to consolidate its traditional base and extend outward to reach new spaces that will eventually swing more voters to its fold.

While in the past we had a greater deficit of votes to overcome and we did manage to do it, this time the margin between the two major parties is negligible. It is not insurmountable!

Still, it would be suicidal to set our mind at rest and act like fools to rely on this particular fact. The way forward is not to take things for granted but to work ceaselessly to attract more and more people to join our quest to administer this country in a far better way.

The outcome of the last election is a government that is justifying itself by the virtue of a few hundreds of votes that amount to less than half an electoral quota! A government that enjoys only a relative majority of votes. A government that, although legally it is correctly constituted, still decency and democracy dictate more prudence and consideration.

As a party, we have to instantly put our targets and objectives clear. We have to include within our flanks the best minds on the island. Together we join all forces to convince the electorate that our party is not only a better option to this government but has a higher vision. We need to convince more people that the Labour Party delivers a superior alternative. Conviction and trust are two major elements in this project.

I urge all party delegates and activists to stick together, to put this sticky patch behind our back and I am confident that we can do it! All those of good faith who would like to join this new generation are more than welcome. Within the coming months we have to clearly show that we are fully committed to shape a better future for all Maltese.

Roderick Galdes is a Labour Member of Parliament