The cliché “a week is a long time in politics” may be badly worn out but is still very relevant, even in today’s Malta. Joseph Muscat’s first week as leader of the Labour Party has surprised most people by its freshness and spontaneity. Indeed, a new political season is dawning and may it make the life of most of our

people, whatever their political beliefs, better.

Joseph is already re-branding the image of the Labour Party by reaching out to all those who, for whatever reason, felt distanced from this political party. This is not just gesture politics but a genuine desire to empathise with all those who are not necessarily sympathisers of the Labour Party, but who appreciate a genuine and fresh attitude from our politicians. The Labour Party needs to reach out to “Middle Malta” if it is to really become a popular party. We need a brand that represents high political values to those who are invited to endorse it.

A brand implies a promise, or rather a set of promises, which a potential client immediately understands when considering buying a particular product. One could argue that political parties should not look at themselves as mere commodities or products sitting on a shelf ready to be picked up by electors, who in a democracy, have a choice. However, I believe there is nothing degrading in a political party marketing itself and projecting its brand in a way that is not very dissimilar to the commercialisation of other products that meet the needs of a consumer society.

Of course, this is not the same as saying that politics is just about marketing. Politics is essentially about caring for the wellbeing of people, especially those who cannot fend for themselves. Politics is about creating opportunities for all and enabling each individual to be able to grasp such opportunities. Politics is about addressing present challenges and planning for the future in order to anticipate the future, rather than react to it. Politics is about the realisation of a vision wherein all members of society would feel that they are participating and benefiting from it for their own good and for the benefit of the whole of society. Politicians who obtain the trust of the people are obliged to serve in the best possible manner the people they represent.

The Labour Party brand promise over the past 30 years has become increasingly unattractive to Middle Malta – a large sector of Maltese society aspiring to move up the social ladder to provide a better quality of life for themselves and their families. We have perhaps failed to understand the genuine and praiseworthy aspirations of this powerful sector of our society that is often silent but no less determined to make the political choices that promote their aspirations.

We have failed to make effective inroads in sectors that traditionally were in a minority in our society but which today constitute the silent majority.

I also believe that Middle Malta is not by nature anti-Labour, but rather sceptical about the Party’s ability to create the type of environment that can create a better future for them and their families. However, these same people are also prepared to listen to what we have to offer for the future because they believe that, in the past, the Labour brand was instrumental in bringing about progressive change and social justice in this country.

We need to examine the socio-political changes that have taken place in the last 30 years to understand what needs to be done to make the Labour brand promise more credible in the eyes of Middle Malta. We have to be prepared to take risks. We must have the patience to communicate better to everyone, not least the hard-core Labour support that may perceive such changes as a divergence from traditional Labour values.

I know that my colleagues and I in the Labour parliamentary group will be available at all times to

support our new leader in the difficult but exciting project of making the Labour Party the natural party of government for the majority of Maltese people.

There may be disappointments on the road that will lead us to this destination. There will be some of us who will falter and give up, but I believe that the present pain of defeat will make most of us stronger and more determined to build a party that meets the justified aspirations of our people. This is what we are in politics for.

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