The first congress of the Labour Party will see a meeting of the party’s ideas with those of the members in a full dialogue so that together they would draw up a roadmap of where they wanted to see Malta in ten years’ time, Labour leader Joseph Muscat told a news conference.

The congress will be held between 14-23 September. He said it will be the first time that a political party is opening its discussion about the electoral manifesto to its members, not only to its delegates.

“This is the difference between a political party and a movement,” he said. A political party manifesto is drawn up by a committee of a few people; this movement has taken the courageous step to open the discussion to all members, he said.

The two main functions of the congress are to elect the party leader and to approve the guidelines of the electoral manifesto, which has been worked on over the past three years, with meetings with NGOs and civil society.

Dr Muscat said the electoral programme will not be a wishlist, but a professional roadmap of where they wanted to take the country, and which will include those sectors to which a new government will direct its energy.

GonziPN, he added, is in a frenzy of schemes and promises which are contradictory and that is because it does not have a coherent plan. The PL congress, he said, will discuss crucial themes which affect families directly.

Party president Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi explained how the reform in the party’s statute, carried out in 2008, created a new structure which gives a voice to the members and is unique for a political party. The subjects to be discussed at the congress will include the social sector, health, civil liberties, the economy, employment, culture, education, the environment, the family and young people.

It will also visit Gozo, for an activity purposely organised to discuss the priorities that a new government will have.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the PN questioned Dr Muscat’s response to questions about what he thinks of the fact that Jason Micallef and Everist Bartolo intend to stand for election. The PN’s information office said: “Dr Muscat’s ‘progressive movement’ (anything, but) is putting forward the likes of Alex Sceberras Trigona, Karmenu Vella, and Leo Brincat – the three of them prominent Cabinet members when Labour governed Malta – for five years – against the will of the people. Political dinosaurs of the worst type.”