Party statute will set new name, new logo, leader’s election by paid-up members, scrapping of Brigata and disciplinary board

Charlot Zahra
The Labour Party is proposing radical changes to its statue, including a change in its name to Partit Laburista (PL) and the introduction of a National Congress consisting of all paid-up members which will elect the party leader.
However, the Deputy leaders and the members of the party administration will still be elected by party delegates during an extraordinary general conference as the practice is at present.
As a result of the name change, the PL’s logo will be changed to reflect the historic torch symbol while at the same time reflecting the new name and structures of the party.
The party’s vision will also be changed of “a political organisation that gathers together people with progressive minds and based on social-democratic principles, with the aim of improving the quality of life in our society”.
Apart from the election of the PL leader, the National Congress will meet before the General Elections to discuss the political perspectives of the Electoral Manifesto.
A person has to have five consecutive years of membership in the PL to qualify as a member of the National Congress.
If there are more than two candidates for the party leadership, it will be the party’s general conference which will whittle down the selection to two candidates.
The PL is proposing the abolition of the posts of Public Relations Secretary and Financial Secretary, which functions will be taken over by specially-appointed persons.
Moreover, the post of Education Secretary is also being abolished. Instead the party will be appointing the chairperson of a new educational foundation “IDEAT”, which will be also a member of the party administration.
In this respect, the Mikiel Anton Vassalli Foundation and the Guze’ Ellul Mercer Foundation will cease to exist and will be integrated within the operation of the new foundation.
However, there is no mention of the party Chief Executive’s role in the statutory changes that the PL is proposing.
Other changes to the party administration will be the introduction of a Representative for Local Councils elected from local councillors and an Organisational Secretary.
Other major changes to the PL’s proposed structure include the removal of the Brigata Laburista and the dissolution of the party’s Vigilance and Discipline Board.
Decisions in this respect will now be taken by the party’s administration and the National Executive. A code of ethics that all party members will have to abide by will be introduced.
In a drive to push younger blood into the party structures, each local committee will have a young person as one of its members. Moreover, none of the officials in the party’s local and district committees can contest for more than 10 years consecutively.
In addition, two of the delegates that are elected in the party’s National Executive by the party’s General Conference will be youths.
Moreover, there is the possibility that experts and other people who can contribute to the party’s policy formulation could be appointed as party delegates for a year.
The changes to the party’s statute will be discussed during an Extraordinary General Conference that the PL will be holding starting tomorrow evening at the National Labour Centre in Hamrun.

czahra@mediatoday.com.mt

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