Those who, like me, would like to see the Malta Labour Party back in government cannot but be preoccupied with a situation where it seems that many Maltese youths are not attracted by the party and openly manifest their support for the Nationalist Party.
One of the things which really demoralised me during the general election campaign, a year ago, was the sight of such a large number of youths at PN mass meetings. To attribute the presence of so many youths at PN mass meetings to the attraction of European Union membership is to be simplistic in one's analysis of this aspect of Maltese contemporary politics.
The truth is that the reasons why many youths give the MLP the cold shoulder are many and complicated. Foremost among them is, ironically, the fact that former Labour governments made it possible for youths from working class backgrounds to continue their studies up to tertiary level. Exposed to pro-PN peer pressure at university and in their social interaction upon embarking on a professional career, several of these youths are forgetting their roots and opting for political support of the PN.
The impact of post-modernism on Maltese society and its effect on the way of thinking of Maltese youths should also not be underestimated. We are living in times when, unfortunately, many of our youths tailor their lives on the principle of selfish materialism. This means that many youths support political programmes of action from which they stand to personally benefit. Do such concepts as "patriotism", "the benefit of the many as opposed to the benefit of the few", "sacrifices for the common good" mean anything to modern-day youths? I am afraid that to many they do not.
The PN has been continuously in power since September 1998. To support the MLP is surely not the most advisable course of action to advance one's career. Therefore, given the materialistic philosophy of many Maltese youths, it pays to support the party in power - the PN.
The PN media are also very effective in their "brain-washing tactics" where our youths are concerned. Take the case of a youth who today is 17 and who will be eligible to vote at the next general election. Such a youth would have been 11 in 1998 when the MLP was last in power. So the frame of mind of such a youth, exposed for several years to PN propaganda and with the PN in government, would be conditioned to such an extent that it might even seem natural that the PN should be in government and the MLP in opposition!
Am I under-estimating the intelligence of Maltese youths? Certainly not! Imagine spending your teenage years under a Nationalist government and continually exposed to PN propaganda. Add to this the fact that, during your lifetime, you very vaguely remember the MLP in government but know only too well (having been bombarded with this information by the PN media) that the last Labour government lasted for only 22 months. You are also aware that the MLP has lost the general election of 2003 (which you remember very well) and that of 1998 (which you hardly remember).
Of course, you are also exposed to the MLP media which often mention such terms as "the welfare state", "equal opportunities", "protecting workers' rights", coupled with references to the 1971-1987 Labour governments (which are as remote as prehistory to you). This is the mind-frame of many youths who will be voting for the first time at the next general election.
What can the MLP do about all this? The Labour Youth Forum is a vigorous organisation with a good number of youths committed to furthering Labour ideals and principles. Indeed, it is a pleasure to meet these idealistic youths so full of enthusiasm for the Labour cause! However, unless the MLP attracts more youths into its fold, it will still be at a great disadvantage at the next general election.
Nobody can deny the fact that the great number of youths voting PN at the last general election was one of the reasons why the PN won so comfortably. At the next general election, the PN will not be able to play the EU membership card to attract voters. However, if it continues to attract youths at the rate it is still doing today, the going will once again be tough for the MLP.
In its policies, the MLP has to give priority to those areas that appeal most to youths - employment opportunities for school-leavers, affordably-priced housing for newly-married couples, education, culture, the environment, sport.
As I said before, we are living in an age of materialism. Many youths will vote for that political party which promises measures that will concretely improve their standard of living. Abstract, idealistic concepts are to be praised but, in practice, they attract very few votes from today's youths.
The MLP also has to ensure that its message gets through to Maltese youths. The MLP media have to continue producing more youth-oriented political material. Since the last general election there has been considerable progress in this regard but it is not enough. The MLP media have to compete with the very efficient PN media and its allies. Therefore, it will be necessary to resort to brain-storming to devise ever newer and more efficient ways of reaching out to Maltese youths.
If Malta's future is to be in the hands of Labour, then the MLP has to appeal to those who will mould our country's future: Maltese youths.