The Labour Party is back in the business of building bridges with most sectors of Maltese society beyond its traditional core support. After many difficult years of failing to connect sufficiently with large sectors of society the PL leadership has come up with a pragmatic strategy to broaden the ranks of its followers. The PL is now inviting all those who are yearning for political change to join the progressive movement led by Labour.
The old paradigm of left/right political ideology is increasingly being discarded in favour of a more pragmatic approach that promotes social values through strong economic performance. This delicate balance is indeed a great challenge, especially at a time when economic performance and wealth creation cannot be taken for granted.
The moral compass of the PL will always be the one that points at social justice, but this can only function if it is underpinned by a strong economy. It is for this reason that the Labour leader Joseph Muscat has invited all self-employed businessmen, as well as small and large businesses, to look at Labour for the solutions to their difficult challenges. The business world and the PL can become natural allies despite any mistrust that may have existed in the past.
Those who create wealth need to be appreciated because it is this process that ultimately creates jobs. Over the coming months and years, the Business Forum set up by the PL leader will dialogue with the business community to ensure that in the formulation of its policy, the PL will create the right environment to promote business growth.
The latest PL party conference did not shy away from raising sensitive issues that affects different sectors of our society. The question of divorce, the protection of the elderly, the need to overcome bureaucratic stumbling blocks, the role of persons with special needs, and the strengthening of family values and the enhancement of the role of women in society were all discussed openly.
As our society continues to change more and more people are looking at our political leaders to determine who can best offer the right policies to improve the quality of their lives. These people may not be the ones who attend political activities or subscribe to the membership of a specific political party. But they are keen observers of what is being proposed by the different political parties to then decide who to trust with their future.
The Nationalist administration is showing clear signs of tiredness and apathy. They are increasingly facing internal dissent from the young elements in the Party who see no future in the way the country is being managed.
The economy continues to stall and even if the Prime Minister keeps blaming the global recession for our under-performance, respectable independent reports keep reminding him that he is not doing enough to address our economy’s structural problems. Short-term management of the fiscal problem, however much it may be necessary, is not sufficient to resolve the long term issues facing our economy. Reforms to strengthen our health system, education, pensions, social services, and investment in the infrastructure continue to be ignored.
The PL needs to have a broad popular support if it is to pull the country out of the rut that it is in. People who in the past had little or no sympathy for the leaders of the policies of the PL are now listening attentively to understand whether the time has indeed come to build a grand coalition of different interest groups in our society. They increasingly feel that the time has come to instil a new life in the stagnant social and economic agenda of the country.
Yes, we believe that the best years for this country are ahead of us and that the bridges that the PL is building with progressive and moderate elements of our society will accelerate the arrival to these better times.
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