Labour CEO appointment causes friction in the party

The announcement that Leonid McKay will be appointed chief executive of the Labour Party caught many insiders by surprise not least its former spokesperson Nigel Vella.

Vella, who works within the secretariat of Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri, was being touted as the next CEO, according to a source in the party, who was granted anonymity to speak freely about internal matters.

“Robert Abela had approached Nigel Vella and discussions did take place that suggested Vella would be appointed CEO instead of Randolph de Battista but this morning’s surprise statement by the Labour Party announcing Leonid McKay’s appointment came totally out of the blue,” the source said.

Shortly after the PL statement was reported by the media, Vella took to Facebook with a cryptic post that he removed shortly afterwards. In his post, Vella wrote: “A phone call that changes everything. Not even face to face because that is too hard. A punch, two punches, this time around nothing will go unchallenged.”

Vella's first Facebook post that was subsequently deleted

A second source within the PL said Vella’s post was a clear reference to the manner by which he was “discarded” by the Labour leader.

“It is reminiscent of the 2008 incident when shortly after the election, Lawrence Gonzi had informed previous ministers that he was not appointing them to Cabinet by sending them an SMS,” the source noted.

Vella was not available for comment but in a second Facebook post he reaffirmed his Labour credentials, calling himself a “soldier of steel” insisting “nothing and no one can melt him”.

Vella's second Facebook post, reaffirming his Labour credentials

Vella’s second post made no reference to political opponents, leading many within the party to interpret it as a message of defiance towards Abela.

Vella had been the PL’s communication chief before being appointed a person of trust in the ministry’s secretariat.

“What happened this morning was the result of Robert Abela’s problematic way of dealing with people; he first leads them on and then discards them in a surprise move,” the second source said, adding a similar situation occurred this week when Alex Agius Saliba signalled his intention to contest the post of deputy leader party affairs after talks with Abela.

READ ALSO: Randolph De Battista steps down as CEO

“The Prime Minister had been talking to several Cabinet members and MPs on the possibility of them contesting the post to keep Jason Micallef out of the deputy leadership but they were caught by surprise when out of nowhere Alex Agius Saliba’s name was drawn out of the hat,” the source said.

A third source attributed the CEO debacle to what they described as Abela’s “compromise with Joseph Muscat” to find an acceptable candidate for the post of deputy leader party affairs.

“Jason Micallef, a Muscat loyalist par excellence, was always going to be an unacceptable choice for deputy, which paved the way for a compromise deal that will see Alex Agius Saliba contest the role and Jason [Micallef] being given a job to oversee the implementation of the electoral manifesto,” the source said.

READ ALSO: Jason Micallef withdraws from deputy leadership race; Agius Saliba may contest if statute changes

“Leonid McKay is definitely Abela’s choice because the former is close to the Abela family from the time he had served at Caritas but he will be taking on the role because he is also acceptable to the Joseph [Muscat] loyalists,” the source added.

Delegates, however, can still put a spanner in the works when they convene for the extraordinary general conference on Friday evening.

For Agius Saliba or any other MP to contest the post of deputy leader party affairs, the party statute has to change. That decision will be taken at the EGM, which will be held behind closed doors.

READ ALSO: Labour delegates today decide whether MPs can run for deputy leader party affairs post