The slogan used by the Labour Party (PL) before the last election was “a new beginning”, which the party said was needed in a country where the Nationalist Party has been in government for two decades, except for a brief 22-month stint by Labour between 1996 and 1998.
But another election defeat arrived, and the party found itself needing a renewal. The March defeat led to the change of the party leader and the two deputy leaders. Some changes were also made in administrative posts, although other officials still kept their place in the top ranks.
Minutes after taking over, new leader Joseph Muscat promised that there would be an earthquake within the party, one that would bring it in line with modern needs and requirements while at the same time leaving the party’s heart and soul intact.
If what he meant by earthquake was the changes to the statute that the Labour Party approved during an extraordinary general conference that was held last week, then it can be said that the party has undergone quite a massive change in the way it will be restructuring itself to face the future.
But the earthquake that is needed in the Labour Party is not just in the change of name or a different emblem. It is not in the way it will elect its leader when Dr Muscat calls it a day or the number of young people and women forming part of its committees. It is neither the dissolution of the Brigata Laburista or the party’s Vigilance and Disciplinary Board, although the decision to remove the latter two organisations is most welcome.
The earthquake that is needed in the PL is a change of mentality, a positive approach and the adoption of policies that can challenge those of the party in power. It is the way Labour tackles prevailing situations and the way it takes decisions, and what these decisions are.
Dr Muscat has realised this, and he has been saying it all along. First the subtle hints, then a stronger stand, and finally his constant call for a dynamic party that still keeps its roots in the social-democratic values it always had, but at the same time is able to adapt itself to the existing circumstances.
Whether he will be able to bring in this fresh mindset is a question that will only be answered in the future. The fact that the delegates who chose Dr Muscat as leader then went on to select two members of the old guard as his deputies is still an enigma that is hard to decipher. The return of veterans who had left the party is also something that raised eyebrows, although this was explained by Dr Muscat as having been the chance to show that the party is ready to embrace everyone in the new chapter it has started.
And this new chapter has also seen new faces in the Labour fold; people who could help give the PL a new image and help Dr Muscat bring about the change in the outlook that he has called for.
Dr Muscat has made it clear that this change must be continuous. The decisions that were taken this past week are not the end, but the beginning of a long process that aims to take the PL to an electoral victory in less than five year’s time.
Too many times in the past, the PL seemed to be the party that was afraid to take the plunge, and kept back when the situation called for a different type of action. With a new leader and a new set-up, Labour now wants to embark on a new road.