2020 marks the first centenary of the Labour Party. The movement was born in the aftermath of 1919. Political movements till then had focussed on whether one was pro-British or pro-Italian, and were dominated by the upper middle class. The 12 who came together in 1920 instead had very different aims. They cared about those without a voice: working men, women and the poor. They championed the nation’s identity, not that of our colonisers. They set up a party not to defend privilege, but to enact a radical programme to give everyone an equal chance.
In a few years, the first Labour representatives were in a position to enact the first progressive legislation. Then conservative forces intervened, and in league with the colonial powers, delayed more progress until the second world war.
The post-war Labour government made another leap forward for the progressive cause, with voting rights extended to women and the introduction of free education, pensions and better health services.
Yet again, the forces that stopped progressive reforms a generation earlier intervened. However, little more than a decade later, the movement had won the electorate’s trust again. With the colonial power in retrenchment, there was little to stop the movement. One by one, Labour took down the vestiges of the past: capital punishment, the lack of separation between Church and state, the criminalisation of homosexuality, the presence of foreign military, formal discrimination for working women, sanctions against trade unions.
The fortress economy which had reduced our country to penury and emigration, was replaced by a vibrant economy based on foreign direct investment and tourism.
However then the movement faced its challenges. Having achieved major objectives, our attitude began to be considered by many as too confrontational and focussed on past grievances. It took us two decades to find a new path. Painful years when a generation of progressives struggled to regain the electorate’s trust. To add pain to injury, when we returned to power, some dismissed us as indistinguishable from our conservative counterparts.
We have to make the next great leap forward and carry out a green revolution
I disagree. The Labour Party was always about improving opportunities. In 1929, Ġuże Ellul Mercer articulated it as the belief that all deserve education, work and sustenance, irrespective of wealth. Equal rights for all. Hunger for none. Education and knowledge for all. In the original Maltese “Ħobż, xogħol u tagħlim”. Moreover, he emphasised the party should not be ruled by the opinions of the few, but instead reflect those of all in society.
These principles were true then. They are true now. They will stay true. As progressives we have to carry this light forward, to push the boundaries, to keep making normal that which a generation ago was thought infeasible.
While celebrating our past achievements, the Labour Party is looking forward. COVID-19 has shown us that we cannot take our standard of living for granted. Prosperity can disappear quickly. That is why we need to strengthen further our social security. Many who thought of this as handouts for the lazy, have now relied on benefits. We all need to have a strong network of well-funded communal services, including health, that keep everyone living in dignity, and to do that we need that all invest their fair share.
COVID-19 also reminded us how important the economy is.
We have to diversify it more, seek different markets and move up the value-added chain. We should have more start-ups, more entrepreneurs.
Our nation needs to become a digital leader. We have to make the next great leap forward and carry out a green revolution. This transformation will involve public investment, but also major changes in private behaviour.
Like those who set up Labour in 1920, I believe education remains the key for success.
We have to move beyond the academic structures of the current system. Education needs to be lifelong, focus more on skills and foster learning attitudes. It needs to be wider-ranging and look to the future.
To achieve this change, Labour needs to be a forum for all. We need to be a true mirror of our society, while striving for fair opportunities for all. We acknowledge Labour needs more women at its forefront. While pushing forward young talent, in an ageing society we can benefit by giving due representation to our elders. And after changing our party, we have to work so that Malta’s economic and social structures change similarly.
We have a duty to continue the good mission, the mission for equality, the mission for progress, the mission for hope. Together we are stronger than each of us by ourselves.
Robert Abela, Prime Minister