Labour leader Joseph Muscat probably did not want it to sound the way it did, but his comments at Wednesday’s Economic Management Consultancy Services business forum confirmed how the party is looking to sever itself from its past leadership style in order to give the party a better chance in the next general election.
In his address to Malta’s business leaders, he called for national and political unity in the drive to tackle the current global economic situation, which is affecting the local scenario too. Wise words indeed, as there is an overriding need for a common effort in dealing with the impending situation. Dr Muscat’s statement was, in fact, endorsed by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech when he addressed forum just after Dr Muscat.
This call for national unity on such a delicate subject in such a delicate situation is to Dr Muscat’s credit, and goes a long way in demonstrating that the MLP is taking a different approach. This was further confirmed by Dr Muscat’s statement that “gone are the times of a doomsday opposition”.
The comments echo those he gave to Monday’s MLP extraordinary general conference, at which he stated the party could not continue “living under a cloud of negativism” and “being the “people who always bring bad news”.
The affirmations could be interpreted as an acknowledgement that, in the past, the Labour Party had more often than not sought to sow negativity by deliberately going against almost everything the government proposed, probably thinking that adopting an opposing stance on practically every issue was the best means of championing its cause. For example, Labour totally opposed the government’s position in favour of European Union membership, a move that cost it so much credibility and the 2003 election.
If Dr Muscat’s statement is an admission of the mistakes Labour committed in the past through its negativity, then it is a feather in his cap and another step forward in the transformation Dr Muscat is leading the party into.
Dr Muscat did not stop there, and offered the opposition’s assistance in a dialogue with the government over the ways and means that could be found to face the challenges the international recession will bring.
His statement that “the time for division and unilateralism is over”, his call for a “bipartisan approach” and his idea for a “platform for dialogue” involving all of civil society should not be dismissed or scoffed at.
Obviously, the proof of the pudding will be in the eating. Dr Muscat will have to prove that he really means what he is saying when matters come to a head. It is one thing to say the opposition wants to be pro-active and cooperate on matters of national interest such as the current economic situation, while it is an altogether different thing when decisions need to be taken.
And this is where the government comes in. At the same conference, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, in his typically optimistic style, remarked that Malta could actually turn the current challenges into opportunities if the country is not afraid to make moves which might seem more difficult, but which will, in the long-term, serve the country in better stead.
A reversion to protectionist measures might appear appropriate given the economic threats looming on the horizon, and the MLP is normally associated with such moves. But the government is of the belief that, in spite of the prevailing situation it should not only continue but increase the momentum of its ongoing structural reform programme and its plans to create an ideal business environment for high quality goods and services. To do this, the country must speed up its reform momentum to, in the words of Dr Gonzi, “limit the effects of a temporary slowdown”.
The type of cooperation that Dr Muscat has offered and his call for national unity in addressing the financial turmoil will be tested from now onwards in the way the Labour Party will react to any government move to consolidate the economy.