Times: Have Muscat's 100 days been a dose of hard labour?

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080914/local/have-muscats-100-days-been-a-dose-of-hard-labour
Sunday, 14th September 2008; Herman Grech

Joseph Muscat and his wife Michelle are imbraced by well-wishers just after Mr Muscat was elected. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi.

(Excerpt from the article)

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Labour MP Evarist Bartolo, who also contested the top party post last June, described Dr Muscat's start as promising.

"The best way to corrupt your leader is to say that he is perfect and is performing miracles. I do not want to corrupt Joseph.

"I want to help him win the hearts and minds of the majority of our people through our actions and policies, and convince them that we will bring about the necessary changes."

Mr Bartolo said Dr Muscat was doing his utmost to reach out and involve as many as people as possible within the party. However, this was easier said than done as it involved a very complicated operation: the party had to try to keep its traditional voters while attracting new ones who distrusted the MLP.

"To bring this about we need to explore and cultivate the common ground and convergence - we can build with Alternattiva Demokratika and connect with the liberals who feel uncomfortable voting for the PN, which is afraid to bring in progressive social reforms like divorce and full rights for gay people."

Changing the Labour Party is an ongoing, complicated and difficult process, but Mr Bartolo believes the new leader has started this process in an imaginative and bold way.

"Dr Muscat should rid himself of any inferiority complex he might have regarding the Nationalist Party and several of its main opinion leaders.

"He must not feel that he needs their endorsement.

"Politics is not a football friendly and the PN is ready to do everything to hold on to power.

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