Foreign Minister Evarist Bartolo insisted Sunday that the Labour Party needs a substantive reform to give it back a moral compass

The past few years in government have shown us the need for a moral compass to lead us on values based on honesty, justice, humility and seriousness, a politics based on service to the people, especially the weakest."

Bartolo, who as minister also sat through both the Sant and Muscat governments, made his comments on Facebook.

"We cannot be a car without brakes or GPS" he said in a reference to the global positioning system which is used for navigation by motorists.

"We cannot be a screen behind which hide a few rich people who, without scruples rake in the wealth and take over the nation's institutions for their personal interests."

He said reform was needed for democracy, equality and the creation and fair distribution of wealth, as well as to safeguard the environment and national pride.

The last time a Labour government was warned by one of its own about losing its moral compass was in 1998 when former leader and prime minister Dom Mintoff had lashed out at the Sant government, eventually bringing it down. Bartolo has not, publicly, clashed with the government on any specific issue.

But on Saturday Bartolo said in another Facebook post that Malta risks an “economic COVID-21” next year unless it acts swiftly to clean up its reputation following further damning revelations of corruption.