New Labour leader Joseph Muscat more or less delivered the same message in his first public activities over the weekend.

He practically repeated the same things, albeit in greater detail, that he had said in the first comments he gave to the media soon after he beat George Abela in the run-off for party leader held on Friday.

Phrases like “a new political season”, “internal earthquake” and “the honeymoon is over”, the latter with reference to the government, were very much on his lips these last few days as were words calling for unity within the party.

As is normally done, he also paid tribute to the former leaders of the party, sparing a few kind words for all of them, while at the same time praising the four contestants who battled with him for the post of leader, saying that they all had a place within the party structures.

He did however go beyond the norm with his use of biblical phrases such as “I love you, and let’s love each other” and “now go and spread the word”.

His decision to invite former MPs to the rally held at the party headquarters on Sunday may be seen as an effort to show the unity that he is calling for, and that the party is making a new beginning while at the same time not denying its past.

His detractors may see this as a dent in his intentions to break away from the mistakes that were committed and which cost the MLP so much time in opposition, but at the same time Dr Muscat has made it clear that he does not want any resources to be wasted.

Probably the most important thing that he said this weekend was that the changes that need to be carried out within the party may not go down too well with some people.

One has to now see how far this internal earthquake will go and who are the people that Dr Muscat was referring to when he said that.

For one thing, he will be waiting for the election of his two deputy leaders later on this week before taking any action. But he already has a first problem that he must deal with – the resignation, from the party but not as an MP, of veteran Joe Debono Grech, who ironically has a chance of replacing the same Dr Muscat when he resigns his seat as a Member of the European Parliament.

With so many former Labour MPs returning to the party headquarters after so many years – it is not known however if there were others who turned down the invitation – Mr Debono Grech’s resignation does come like a bolt out of the blue. He had endorsed Marie Louise Coleiro Preca for the post of leader, and his resignation stands out as being a sign of disapproval of the collective decision taken by the party.

In his first public appearances, Dr Muscat has refrained from taking a stand on particular issues, other than saying that the party is willing to cooperate with the government on matters of national importance.

This is a good sign for two reasons. The first is that Dr Muscat was not carried away with the joy of having won the contest and did not let himself make proclamations that he could have regretted later. Secondly, the fact that the MLP is willing to work alongside the government on national issues will certainly be more beneficial for the country.

And, speaking of cooperation with the government, one of the first matters that need to be sorted out is the question regarding the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the pairing agreement. The way Parliament is operating at present is still “temporary”, as the two sides have agreed to postpone negotiations until after the election of a new MLP leader. Now that he has been chosen, the government and the opposition should get together to find a permanent solution.