Labour Party fears Joseph Muscat takeover by proxy

Jason Micallef’s announcement that he is contesting the election for deputy leader party affairs has left many in Labour fearing a Joseph Muscat takeover by proxy. 

These fears were further compounded on Saturday when Labour propagandist Manuel Cuschieri appeared to pitch his tent behind Micallef by provocatively asking followers whether they preferred a deputy leader who is an MP or minister, or someone who is “solely dedicated” to the party. 

Micallef and Cuschieri are old hands in the PL and loyalists of the disgraced former prime minister who faces corruption charges linked to the Vitals hospitals scandal.

Micallef’s sudden announcement last Friday came a week after he appeared on F Living, where he spoke on the need for renewal in the PL. He told TV host Karl Bonaci the party needed new faces. 

A former secretary-general when the party was led by Alfred Sant up until 2008, Micallef is not exactly a new face but it is his loyalty to Muscat that has many worried.

Several MPs who were granted anonymity to speak freely about internal matters told MaltaToday, Micallef’s bid was clearly an attempt by Muscat to create mayhem in a situation where the current leader is in a weak position. 

“With Jason Micallef as deputy leader the party is likely to lose the support of moderate voters, who are angry at Joseph Muscat and were irked by the support he received outside the law courts when he was charged in the Vitals case,” an MP said. 

Micallef had accompanied Muscat to court when the latter was charged with corruption in the Vitals hospitals scandal last May. Muscat’s lawyer Charlon Gouder was one of the first to offer his support to Micallef when the latter announced his bid for deputy leader. 

Earlier in the year, Micallef had also advocated for Muscat to be a candidate for the PL in the European election, a stand pushed by Manuel Cuschieri. 

Micallef’s popularity among the party grassroots is likely to hand him victory in a field that so far has only one other candidate – Claudette Abela Baldacchino. The latter is unlikely to be a formidable challenger and her Facebook post announcing that the time has come for the role to be occupied by a woman was greeted with widespread derision among Labour sympathisers.

READ ALSO: Robert Abela on Jason Micallef | 'When your time is up, don't come back'

Micallef’s threat 

Many delegates feel the party was “abandoned” over the past four years as the leadership dealt with the country’s problems and the party administration lost its focus. 

“The party lost the administrative ability it had in dealing with complaints and reaching out to people who may have been put off by something and in these circumstances, it is no wonder delegates would look to an old hand like Jason Micallef but if we want unity he is not the right choice,” another MP told MaltaToday, pointing towards a Facebook post Micallef put out on Saturday morning. 

In this post, Micallef thanked delegates and people who reached out to him for the positive feedback. But he also made a veiled threat to “the hidden hands” he claims will be passing on stories about him to the “so-called independent media”. “I know who you are,” he declared. 

A PL delegate, who spoke to MaltaToday on condition of anonymity, expressed concern over Micallef’s motivation to contest the post. “What he is saying about the need for renewal is correct, but I fear that Jason Micallef will be Joseph Muscat’s long hand inside the higher echelons of the party and that worries me more than him not being a new face,” the delegate said. 

Another delegate argued that although what Micallef was saying about the need to energise the party and its grassroots was true, he was not the right person for the post. 

“Jason Micallef is undoubtedly popular but delegates also know that the party needs new faces and needs to win elections, which can be put in doubt because of the closeness to Joseph Muscat,” the delegate said.

Finding a worthy challenger 

Meanwhile, some MPs and delegates are toying with a proposal to change the party statute so that MPs are allowed to contest the role of deputy leader party affairs. 

The proposal was initially floated by Robert Abela some weeks ago but party functionaries pushed back against it. With Micallef formalising his bid, the issue is likely to be raised again in tomorrow’s meeting of the party executive. 

It was Abela who had piloted the statute change to preclude MPs from contesting the role of deputy leader party affairs in 2020. Abela had reversed a decision taken under the Muscat administration in 2016 when the statute was changed so that Konrad Mizzi could be elected deputy leader party affairs. 

There are conflicting opinions on what should happen though. A party delegate told MaltaToday that if Abela were to push for a vote to be held on a change in statute it would hand Micallef victory on “a silver plate”. 

“Delegates and party functionaries have already pushed back against such a proposal and Robert Abela may not have enough allies at this stage to convince the party otherwise, which could lead to backlash and hand Jason [Micallef] victory,” the delegate said. 

However, another delegate said MPs should not be precluded from contesting what is otherwise a political role. 

“The argument that a minister cannot occupy the role because they will not be focussed on the party does not hold water; after all the person who will be stepping down is an architect with a private practice,” the delegate said. 

Sources close to the party leadership believe that only a member of parliament with stature among the grassroots could pose a proper challenge to Micallef. 

It appears that some have floated the name of Education Minister Clifton Grima, while others are rooting for Parliamentary Secretary Glenn Bedingfield. None of these two were willing to release a comment when contacted since they are precluded from contesting the role of deputy leader party affairs unless the statute changes. 

Meanwhile, over the past hours several Cabinet members have come out with coordinated posts on social media calling for unity and harping on the need for everyone to stand behind the leader, Robert Abela. Ministers are insisting that the party must remain open to ideas and people otherwise it risks closing in on itself with the possibility of losing the next election. Jo Etienne Abela, Clint Camilleri, Chris Bonett, Glenn Bedingfield, Clifton Grima and Owen Bonnici were among the first to post similar messages in support of the Prime Minister, describing this as a "delicate time" for the party.

The retort to the coordinated drive came from Labour MEP Daniel Attard, who is openly supporting Jason Micallef, who said unity is important but so is change. His post was accompanied by several emblems the PL adopted throughout its history, in a subtle message on the need for renewal.

Any move to change the statute will require an extraordinary general conference to take place before 23 August when nominations for the deputy leadership vacancies and other posts in the administration open. Nominations close on 25 August. 

Elections will be held on 13 September with a run-off slated a day later if no contestant obtains an absolute majority. Elections will also be held for 12 members of the executive and the party’s administration, which includes the president. 

The general conference will be held between 13 and 15 September in what promises to be a battle for the PL’s soul.