People expect the "highest standards" from their representatives, and they expect that by right, Labour Party president Alex Sciberras told The Malta Independent on Sunday when asked about the latest ethics scandal, which has rocked the government.

Asked about the scandal - which involves two ministers and a minister's wife - in a wide-ranging interview, Sciberras highlighted that the process is still ongoing, but that people have the right to expect the "highest standards" from those they elect.

Sciberras was elected into the post of Labour Party president as part of a clean sweep of the party's top internal roles. This came after the PL stuttered to electoral victory in the European Parliament elections last June - it was a win, but with a majority which was slashed to just 8,454 votes.

"I think the people's message was clear: it wasn't that they've lost faith in the PL - in fact the party still won the elections - but it was that they expect a better version of this party," Sciberras said.

He continued that people still trusted the party, but felt that certain points need to be addressed - naming issues such as overpopulation, traffic and construction as some of these.

Sciberras continued that this message has been taken on board by the PL, and the party is "in the process of doing something that no party has managed: renew itself while it is in government."

"The easiest thing would have been to say that we have nothing to answer for and that we don't need to change anything in what we're doing and we keep on going. That's not what the PL has done," he said.

The Malta Independent on Sunday pointed out to Sciberras though, that it's not just traffic, overpopulation and construction where people expect a "better version" of the PL - many also see good governance as an area in need of significant improvement.

These past days gave Abela his first post-election test: two of his ministers - Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri - have been embroiled in an ethics scandal relating to a government job given to Bartolo's partner, and now wife.

Bartolo's wife, Amanda Muscat, who was initially working as Bartolo's personal assistant, was employed with Camilleri's Gozo Ministry as a consultant, netting a pay packet of €68,000.

A Standards Commission investigation however found that Muscat was not qualified for the post, and never actually did any work as a consultant - instead she seemed to continue working for Bartolo as his personal assistant.

Bartolo has since apologised for any shortcomings he may have committed, and the Prime Minister has said that his apology is "sufficient" - even as there are calls for the Tourism Minister's resignation.

Asked whether this is the Labour Party's "better version" when it comes to governance, Sciberras said that the process on this particular case is ongoing, but made a key point: "That people expect the best standards from its representatives is something they have a right to expect, and I think that it has to be given."

For Bartolo and Camilleri he pointed at the fact that the legislative process is still ongoing, and that rule of law means allowing it to play out. Indeed, the Standards Commissioner's report must now be discussed by the Parliamentary Committee for Standards in Public Life, which will then decide whether to adopt it or not.

Sciberras also turned his guns onto the PN, saying that it's difficult "to take lessons" from a party which had no issue with Roberta Metsola engaging her brother-in-law on a €20,000 per month salary at the European Parliament or having her husband work as a lobbyist for major maritime interests "with the possibility of influencing important European legislation" or being somehow exempted from adhering to the European Parliament's ethics rules.

Steering back however, it was pointed out that Abela had already established a yardstick on a similar case - that of Justyne Caruana, who was forced to resign after a Standards Commissioner investigation found she had granted a €15,000 contract to her partner for something he was not qualified for.

"I will be clear again: that we expect the highest standards from our representatives, we expect it by right. I'm not going to debate on this," Sciberras answered.

"But we also agree that we have institutions; they spoke and made their recommendations, but now we need to follow the process. In a country where we speak about rule of law, an important part of it is due process," he continued.

He said that part of the process is for the ministers to say their piece. "This haste for us to become judge and jury for everything that happens before we give some time for the process to be followed is not the best version of ourselves that we, as a country, should expect," he said.

Asked why then the Prime Minister had already seemed to pass his judgement on the case by saying that an apology is "sufficient", Sciberras said that in his mind, Abela had been replying to those who wanted to "play with facts a bit" in order to take political advantage of the situation.

"This isn't a matter of a person who got paid for work they didn't do. There was work, and the Commissioner says this - so one always needs to place things into context," Sciberras said.

"In no way does it mean, though, that one shouldn't expect the highest standards from one's representatives," he added.

The economy: 'We cannot turn the clock back'

The recently announced budget for next year, on paper, sets out to emphasise quality through a new economic model. It's a statement which has long been mooted, but some have argued that it effectively admits that the model followed so far was not the correct one.

"No, that's not precise," Sciberras says when the suggestion is put to him.

"We are in a situation where we can speak about a model which goes towards quality and not quantity because we expanded the economy and we have a strong economy today," he said.

Looking back to the pre-2013 administration, Sciberras said that back then the country experienced stagnated pensions, high utility bills, promises of tax cuts, which were never fulfilled "and a hundred thousand other things".

The choice back then was whether to continue on the path of austerity that the PN had set to the country on, or whether to move towards economic growth, he said.

"We cannot turn the clock back," Sciberras said as he noted things like consistent pension increase and increases to the children's allowance. "Obviously though economic growth brings new challenges, so it's a matter of - now that we are in a strong position - making certain choices."

"Our capability will be on how we can adapt ourselves to these emerging realities, but that doesn't mean we have to go back to where we came from," he said.

Could these challenges have been avoided with better planning when the PL came to power, though? "It's a false choice," Sciberras says of the question.

"The question is based on the premise that one should have made certain changes which required certain investment, when that was not the country's situation at the time," he said.

He conceded that some decisions could have been taken earlier, but noted that Malta went through a global pandemic and was subject to the impacts of wars abroad. The fact that Malta could get through those situations means that the fate of the economy is now in the government's hands, he said.

"The people expect the government to give direction - there are choices we need to make together," he said. Illustrating this, he said that, for example, it's useless speaking about traffic without considering that everyone has a role to play in the solution - however difficult it may be to adapt to.

"Our prudence is in how ready we are to meet these challenges," he said.

'We were friends before and we are still friends' - Sciberras on Norma Saliba

Sciberras was elected as the Labour Party president on 14 September - just over two months ago. His post was the only major one which was contested - he ultimately beat Norma Saliba by just 14 votes in order to be elected.

"I could understand and I do understand people's sentiment that when a party may not be at its best, it's not the best time for certain contests which may bring division," Sciberras said when asked how it made him feel that his post was the only one which was contested.

"But I've also always believed in a contest done well - where you show that yes there are different beliefs and styles, but not personal attacks," he said.

"We were friends before, we will remain friends, and we are still friends," he said of his relationship with Saliba, who has since been appointed as the PL's media spokesperson.

Since he was elected, the PL's renewal process has continued, Sciberras said. He said that discussions within party structures are ongoing for statutory reforms - these are likely to bring the PL to a general conference in the coming months.

The line between party and government is a fine one - but it is one which at times becomes blurred. It's not the first time that the Prime Minister has announced major news during a political activity, and people close to the PL have consistently been appointed to high-ranking and lucrative government roles. Is the PL capable of drawing, and toeing, that line between party and government?

The blurring of these lines are "somewhat natural" when a party has been in government for a number of years, Sciberras replied to this.

"One needs to be alert for it and address it - but neither would I go along with the thinking that the government is independent from politics. It's not the case: people vote for politicians, for a work plan, and then people expect that those leading the work plan believe in it," he said.

He said that having statements on the government's work from political parties is what people expect, and that it's essential to have people who not only have the competencies, but also believe in the work plan and are committed to push it forward. "God forbid it was any other way," he said.

Lessons to be learnt from Trump's US triumph

It's hard to ignore the triumph of Donald Trump in the United States in the past week or so. It was an electoral result with a lot of lessons - and potentially consequences - for the political world.

Asked what lessons can be taken for the Maltese context from this, Sciberras said that while he has no sympathies whatsoever towards Trump's politics, there are two.

What is obvious, he said, goes back to Jim Carville's statement in the run-up to the presidential election which saw Bill Clinton elected in 1992: "It's the economy."

"The economy is the foundation of everything. Even if you look at the states which the Democrats lost along the Rust Belt, the theme was inflation and the economy," he said.

"Even though the economy was recovering, people were not benefitting from it. At the end of the day we need to remember that it's the bread and butter issues which count most," he added.

He said that the Democrats "had an over-dependence" on points which were important, but which did not address the inflation that people were feeling.

The second lesson to take is that the result negates the political thinking that "criminalising our political adversary somehow leads to a win".

He said that countries are organised on democratic systems and people expect their candidates to debate and offer alternatives so that they can then decide between them.

"When the people start to see that one is criminalising the other in order to remove them from the game, then it's their choice being taken away," he said, adding that the electorate does not accept this.

This is a similar point to the one made by Jason Micallef, a member of the PL executive, who reacted to the result by saying that Trump's win is a lesson for politicians with no backbone and NGOs and organisations who are "bullies and elitists".

He also drew an equivalence between this and his support for former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, who is currently facing criminal charges over the hospitals' scandal.

Trump himself has faced several significant allegations, including sexual abuse and that he instigated an insurrection because he refused to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election.

So does an electoral win legitimise any wrongdoing or alleged wrongdoings? Sciberras did not address what Micallef said, but said that as far as Trump goes, American law does not disqualify a person who is found guilty of a crime from running for president.

"The people are saying that they are sovereign and if they feel that's something which should disqualify a candidate, then they will make that choice, not someone else for them. That's the message I think we need to take," he said.

"People do not take kindly to anyone trying to usurp their power," he added.

'Joseph Muscat cannot be cancelled'

Malta's next general election is slated for 2027, and Sciberras would not be drawn into comment on how the PL is preparing for this from now.

"The only party with an obsession on the next general election is the PN, as Bernard Grech is trying to do everything to save his skin, and he needs an election on the horizon to avoid having internal problems," Sciberras said.

As for the PL, it's a process "which is ongoing, but which is also internal".

Speculation was rife in the run-up to the MEP elections that Muscat may end up being a PL candidate, and no doubt speculation will be rife again come 2027.

But Sciberras would not say whether he would agree with the former premier making a return to politics, saying that hypothetical questions are not really helpful in any political debate.

"The reality is this: good or bad, Joseph Muscat cannot be cancelled. He cannot be cancelled from the PL's history, and neither can he be cancelled from the country's history. There is a judicial process ongoing, we respect it, follow it, and what happens after is anyone's guess," he said.

On the topic of elections, though, Malta is changing: turnouts are dropping but that's not necessarily because of a disinterest in politics, but potentially because more and more people are feeling disillusioned by the two major parties.

He said that in Malta there is a bit of a tendency for people to lash out at political parties just because they are partisan. "The worst thing we can do though is to abandon the political project," he said.

Both major parties have challenges to address, but the idea that being associated with political parties discredits someone will only result in politics which does not reflect the thoughts of those who feel disillusioned by it.

"I always say: be more active. If you want things to change, you need to be part of their change. By pushing away the parties because you think they will never change, the interests you want to stop will be the ones which continue to win," he said.

So then how does the PL win back the votes of those who deserted them during the MEP elections? The most crucial thing, Sciberras says, is to remain in direct contact with the people, and that's what the PL is doing as part of its renewal.

He also said, though, that while last June sent a message to the PL - it was also a harsh admonishment of the PN.

"After spending 11 years in Opposition, attacking everything and making it seem like everything is going badly - and still not being capable of showing yourself to be an alternative that the people want: it's a total failure of your politics," he said.

"What the PN does shouldn't interest us, but if we're talking about what the last election meant, then, yes, it was a warning to the PL, but it was also a condemnation of the PN," he concluded.