Former minister Evarist Bartolo asked Labour delegates a series of questions ahead of the party's annual general conference on Sunday, in particular whether it was a Labour value to celebrate corruption and clientelism as being part of the natural qualities of politics and governance.

The former long-serving education minister, who failed to get re-elected at the last general election, was referring to the prime minister's downplaying of the driving tests scandal, which saw former transport minister Ian Borg and various government officials hand the names of driving test candidates to the Transport Malta official responsible for the tests.

"That is the way the political system works. If anyone is saying this should not apply for this country, I disagree,” the prime minister had said in comments which drew sharp criticism.

In a Facebook post, Bartolo said Labourites who were angry and disappointed over the way the popularity of the Labour Party had dived over the past 20 months, wanted replies to the following questions:

• Is it a Labour value to destroy the environment?
• Is it a Labour value to help only those who come to us instead of fixing the current system?
• Is it a Labour value to let building contractors take whatever they want, and even help them to take more? 
• Is it a Labour value not to do anything while people are brought to Malta with scant respect for basic rights and working conditions in what amounts to modern slavery? 
• Is it a Labour value that many senior Labour Party people are compromised by major contractors who enjoy more rights than ordinary citizens?
• Is it a Labour value to allow a mother who lost her only son in a construction accident to be forced to fight for justice?
• Is it a Labour value to celebrate corruption and clientelism as natural qualities of local politics and governance?
• Is it a Labour value to snuff out all political discussion on state broadcasting in an effort to hide goings on, replacing them with stupid programmes to deviate public attention?"

Bartolo's post came against the background of a Malta Today opinion survey showing the PN was leading Labour by 5,000 votes amid increasing anger in the Labour ranks over a series of scandals. The survey found that the Nationalist Party enjoys a relative majority and is leading the Labour Party by two points at 45.8% against the PL’s 43.8%. 

Also on Sunday, Times of Malta reported the resignation from the Labour Party of the mayor of Gżira, Conrad Borg Manche, who said that the PL was no longer socialist and was not standing up for the workers.