Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne has warned Labour delegates that postponing bold and necessary decisions on issues such as the hospitals deal would be a mistake which could cost them the government.
Fearne made the stern warning on Sunday morning, when he was addressing the Labour general conference at the Rialto Theatre in Cospicua.
“If we do not recognise our mistakes, the electorate will be telling us to do so in the election. We should not wait to go in Opposition to make the necessary changes,” he said.
Fearne insisted that after almost eight years in government, the party needed to keep changing and set new targets in order to keep winning. On the other hand, he acknowledged that some things could have been handled better.
“If we bury our heads in the sand, there will be a point when we will be overcome with problems,” he said.
The deputy prime minister referred to the findings of the National Audit Office on the hospitals concession agreement signed with Vitals Global Healthcare.
The investigation found that that VGH should have been disqualified from bidding to take control of three State hospitals, as there had been "collusion" between the government and the company.
Fearne noted that he had been the one who asked for the investigation by the NAO in the first place.
“Now that the report is in hand, we must have the courage to change and take the necessary decisions,” he told Labour delegates.
Fearne also referred to Steward Health Care of the US, which had taken over the concession from VGH at the end of 2017.
“Steward said some things needed to be corrected, and we have the joint objective to rectify what is wrong in the interest of the Maltese,” he said.
“We will take action in government by the time we present ourselves for the next electoral test,” Fearne pledged.
The deputy prime minister’s remarks prompted the immediate reaction of Opposition leader Adrian Delia. While welcoming Fearne’s “admission” that the deal was flawed, thus vindicating the Opposition’s criticism, Delia called on the prime minister to take action by reclaiming the three State hospitals.
10 policy fora set up
In his first address as deputy leader for party affairs, Daniel Micallef announced the setting up of 10 policy fora, with the objective of coming up with 100 objectives by the end of the year. He noted that within two years the Labour Party would have to present a new manifesto for the general election.
"People will not only judge us on our track record but also on the ideas which will put forward," he said.
PL President calls for more women in politics
Newly-elected Labour President Ramona Attard recounted her experience of joining the party as a journalist and rising through the ranks to become part of the leadership team. She said her journey was testament to the fact that in the PL anybody willing to work hard would have great opportunities. Attard called on more women to enter politics, saying the fact she was a mother-of-three had not deterred from taking this step.