It is the unspoken truth. The Nationalist Party knows it, Joseph Muscat and the Labour Party know it and the general public can feel it - so it's no use trying to deny it.

The idea behind this opinion piece came after I heard Alistair Campbell's speech. Repeatedly, I tried to listen to and analyse what this spin doctor had to say about the Maltese Labour Party. But the more I listened to his comments, the more I realised that, even though he was right about certain conclusions he reached, he was omitting certain realities - and obviously not because he lacks the wisdom to reason them.

As a starting point, I cannot but agree completely with one of the statements made by Mr Campbell - one that featured in many headlines in the media. Joseph Muscat and Labour have mastered the art of winning elections. Bringing in his team of 'spin doctors', media experts and campaign managers, and complementing them with a ruthless winning mentality and the necessary backing, transformed the Labour Party from a losing team into a winning one. Undoubtedly, his strategies were successful and brought the party the success it was desperately craving. In this respect, even though some say the new ways to which the Labour Party has resorted in the recent past were less than ideal and led it to lose some of the traditional principles and social foundations upon which it was built, one cannot deny that the results were the best we've ever experienced.

Now, after an absence of 25 years, our party is in power, and if it hopes to have a chance of staying there, it needs to fulfil the promises, reforms and changes it was elected to carry out. It needs to convince the floaters that they made the right choice in trusting the Labour Party and the Labour voters that it has not neglected them and I believe that its problems lie mostly with the latter.

Let me be clear - we have seen improvements in certain areas and reforms that were long overdue being put forward by the government, particularly when it comes to civil rights. Also, lest we forget, this is the government that fulfilled its promises to reduce utility bills, offer free child-care services and increase stipends for students and that continues to deliver on a daily basis. In this respect, I believe that much of the criticism levelled by Simon Busuttil and his party, even though it pokes the right places and is healthy, lacks credibility because of the mistakes they made when they were governing this country. This is mainly why they are not Joseph Muscat's main problem.

The problem as a party lies with the core vote. The true 'soldiers of steel' who have now fallen behind in the pecking order because of new blood; the genuine Labourites out there in the streets who continue to complain about the injustices they suffered under the previous administrations and continue to suffer now that their party is in government.

While I do not wish to be drawn into any controversy, I believe that this is a problem that has two aspects. First and foremost, I believe that the government is - as it should be - is run by the civil service. This is the backbone of our government and I believe that the core of the civil sector and certain posts are still held by people who were strategically chosen over the years (even though this should not be the case, I dare anyone to challenge it) under the previous administration. This has made it harder for Muscat's government to operate in some areas.

Secondly, I believe that this government has been trying to please individuals or groups of people who are not traditionally associated with the Labour Party, even to the detriment of many die-hard Labourites, which has irritated the core Labour vote.

Therefore, I cannot but say that Campbell was right when he said that Prime Minister Muscat has mastered the art of winning, but such a statement would not be complete and truthful unless one points out that Labour and the government need to work harder and exercise their power to maintain their success.

[email protected]