Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1190498
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 When that failed, ostensibly because transport minister Ian Borg had been offered the post so as not to run himself, Abela declared he would not partake "a diabolical pact" to buy himself a comfortable seat in power. "[I cannot] be burdened with… compro- mises that tie my hands even before I start," Abela said. "Is it possible that we have learnt nothing?" Yesterday Abela announced his bid to take on Fearne, who has already amassed consid- erable support among Cabi- net colleagues. In a Facebook post, Abela said he was heed- ing a strong response he had received from party support- ers. "Together we will con- tinue to kindle the flame that makes us proud of our coun- try and the Labour Party," Abela said. The leadership deal to avoid a bruising contest in the La- bour Party was scuppered after Robert Abela expressed serious reservations over Ian Borg's suitability. The deal was being pushed by senior party exponents and had the blessing of out- going leader Joseph Mus- cat. It would have installed Fearne as leader, with Robert Abela and Ian Borg elected as deputy leaders. Borg was earmarked for deputy prime minister, something Abela objected to because of the minister's alleged proximity to the dis- graced Keith Schembri, Mus- cat's former chief-of-staff now being implicated in the Daphne Caruana Galizia as- sassination. The man Schem- bri allegedly used to pass on a message to the Daphne Caru- ana Galizia murder suspects, security officer Kenneth Camilleri, had also been em- ployed with Transport Malta, an agency that falls within Borg's remit. Robert Abela's decision to throw his name in the ring is reminiscent of his father's decision in 2008 to stay the course and push for a lead- ership run-off with Joseph Muscat. At the time, in the first round of voting, Muscat fell just three votes short of obtaining 50% plus one of the vote that would have crowned him leader. George Abela came a distant second with 23%. The result meant that Mus- cat and Abela went into a run-off between them. At the time, it was only party dele- gates who elected the leader. Many had expected Abela to concede defeat, making the run-off unnecessary but people close to the former president at the time said he wanted internal party democ- racy to take its course and let delegates have the final say. Muscat eventually won the leadership with 66% of the vote. Robert Abela's decision to- day to contest the leadership has all the hallmarks of his father's yearning back then to allow a democratic vote take its full course, party sources told MaltaToday. Although in completely dif- ferent circumstances, Rob- ert Abela's decision will now place the party's fate in the hands of its members under new rules to convene a Gen- eral Congress where paid-up members – not party dele- gates – get to choose the lead- er in a two-horse race. 3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 8 DECEMBER 2019 NEWS Spurned Abela takes Fearne into race Deputy PM Chris Fearne (left) and Labour MP Robert Abela place the decision of the next PM in the hands of paid-up Labour Party members