Labour and its media must go beyond praising the government for its work and do more to debate policymaking, newly elected PL deputy leader Alex Agius Saliba has said.
“The politics of simply saying ‘good job’ and ‘thank you’ needs to end,” Agius Saliba said on Sunday, in his first speech as the party’s deputy leader for party affairs.
Agius Saliba was elected to the role on Saturday alongside Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg, who is now deputy leader for parliamentary affairs.
Alex Sciberras was elected PL president after narrowly defeating Norma Saliba.
Agius Saliba said local party committees should not just be vehicles for fundraising and collecting membership fees, but should also participate in shaping policies and the party’s political vision.
The party’s media wing ONE should also have more balanced discussions, he said.
“People want to hear and see mature discussions, not just listen to statements by a minister,” Agius Saliba said.
Addressing the party’s delegates during the closing event of the PL’s general conference, the MEP said: “Each and every one of us love the party, and because we love the party we need to point out when things are not going as well as they should.”
Agius Saliba pointed to the high rates of abstention in the 2022 general election and last June’s EU and local council elections, saying that those who did not vote for the PL need to be heard.
“Some who stayed at home would have never dreamed of doing so a few years ago,” Agius Saliba said.
“To bring these people back, we must look back at the glorious history of the party and its socialist and social democratic roots.”
Agius Saliba said that he will be inviting Sammy Meilaq to be at the centre of the discussion about the party’s future.
Meilaq, who was an aide to former prime minister Dom Mintoff, said Malta is heading in an “anti-socialist” direction in a Sunday Times of Malta interview.
'We need to get things done'- Ian Borg
Labour's newly-elected deputy leader for parliamentary affairs, Ian Borg, said the PL and government need to have a long-term vision for the next 15 years and not just look to the next general election.
Borg said the government is already implementing policies to encourage the use of more alternative energy, but said that other long-term goals like introducing a mass transport system also need to be considered.
As Transport Minister, Borg unveiled plans to develop a metro system in Malta across 30 years to much fanfare. Those plans, however, went nowhere and the Labour Party did not include talk of a metro system in its 2022 electoral manifesto.
Borg also said Malta’s urban environment needs improvement.
“We need to get things done right and delivered on time,” Borg said.
Borg said Malta’s long-term vision should also focus on providing quality healthcare with shorter waiting times, excellent education, and better pay for workers.
He also said Maltese people should be prioritised in the labour market.
“If a Maltese can do a job, they should do it, not a foreigner,” he said.
Foreigners working in Malta should respect the country, its culture, and laws, and the Maltese should reciprocate that respect, he said.