Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1466490
maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 MAY 2022 8 INTERVIEW Raphael Vassallo rvassallo@mediatoday.com.mt Neutrality is more valid now, Your retirement from politics marks the end of a 40-year career with the Labour Party. During that time, the PL has evolved quite considerably: from the 'Old Left' represent- ed by Dom Mintoff; to Alfred Sant's 'New Labour' in the 1990s; to the 'business friend- ly' approach adopted by Joseph Muscat. Looking back: are you comfortable with how Labour has changed, over the years? Yes, and no. First of all: strictly speaking, I was never active with- in the Labour Party when Mintoff himself was still its leader. At the time, I had more of a 'fringe- group' mentality. In fact, I was very active in a small organisation called 'Xirka Gustizzja Socjali' [Society for Social Justice]: where we were critical, even of things the Labour government was doing. And at one point, I was even a member of an organisation called 'Grupp Kontra'… basically, a group 'against everything'! But eventually, yes: I chose to become active within the Labour Party. The big decision itself came in 1985: when I was approached by Alfred Sant - who was party president, at the time – and asked if I was "ready to run the Labour Party's media." I had to choose be- tween that, or joining the Univer- sity as a lecturer – having, in the meantime, studied journalism in Stanford and Wales. And, well, to cut a long story short, I chose the former. Strictly speaking, then, I was only really active within the La- bour Party from the days of Kar- menu Mifsud Bonnici onwards. But to come back to your ques- tion: yes, the Labour has cer- tainly changed a lot, since those times. And this was necessary; because if it didn't change, it would have grown outdated, and run out of steam. Some of those changes should probably have come earlier than they actually did. I think, for ex- ample, that Mintoff ultimately stayed on a little too long, as par- ty leader. After 1979, his agen- da – which was to make Malta a neutral, non-aligned country; to remove the naval bases, and so on – had largely been achieved; and besides, his economic policies were probably around 20 years behind the times, too. If, in the 1950s, Mintoff had been allowed to carry out the reforms he implemented in the 1970s and 1980s… it would have made a lot more sense, all things considered. So, looking back: I think there's still a lot to learn from Mintoff, when it comes to foreign policy, and how to handle our relations with the rest of the world; and he also instilled in us a sense of na- tional dignity: that we must stand up for our interests, however small we are. And obviously, we must also credit Mintoff with having built up the welfare state; and for his strong sense of social justice, equality, and income distribu- tion… But you're talking about those things – social justice, and es- pecially income distribution – as if they are already part of the Labour Party's 'historical lega- cy'. How much of all that is still relevant today? Well, it depends how you look at things. To be fair, a lot has hap- pened in the past nine years: pen- sions have improved; there has been income distribution… even if, at the same time, there is now a wider gap between the 'haves', and the 'have-nots'. That is obviously something to be taken into con- sideration, too. But the reality is that the Labour Party changed, because it HAD to change. There were other Social Democratic parties, in Europe and elsewhere, that did not make those necessary changes; that were not ready to navigate the complexities of the modern world… and those parties have effectively died, as a result. If Malta's Labour Party hasn't died, it's because it succeeded in modernising itself in the mean- time. Having said this: there are some 'Red Lights' that we should be paying more attention. For instance: I believe that you cannot 'distribute wealth', unless you create it first. You have to grow an economy, before you can talk about how to distribute the resulting wealth. So we do need a culture of 'wealth creation'; and to attract the necessary investment, to create that sort of economic landscape. But at the same time, we must also be aware that there are peo- ple who are finding it hard to make ends meet… But today's problems don't re- ally concern 'wealth creation', do they? Let's face it: lots of people ARE making money in this country. In fact, the La- bour Party is often criticized for having 'drifted too far from its Socialist roots', by cosying up to business elites. Isn't there some truth to that? Rather than taking the ideolog- ical approach, of saying: 'This is the Faith'; and then asking, 'Is the Faith being kept?'… I prefer work- ing the other way round. Let's look at what is happening on the ground; and ask ourselves wheth- er the people's quality of life has improved, or not And by 'quality of life', I don't just mean income, or material bene- fits; but also the environment; and the ability to live a life that is not just about 'working to survive'… but also to enjoy a better standard of living. It is here that I think we really need to be focusing more, at the moment. But I repeat: instead of taking the abstract, ideological approach… I think we need to look at how peo- ple are actually living; and what can be done to improve their lot. And there is definitely a LOT of work to be done. I myself have visited homes, during this cam- paign, where you could tell that those people were still struggling. And if this interview is scheduled to appear on Labour Day [which it is]: then it would be well-timed to bring up other issues, too. If we are to honestly commem- orate Labour Day, we need to also talk about the realities of today's working conditions: that, for in- stance, there are people on defi- nite contracts, who have prob- lems getting loans; and, in general, to make ends meet. Another thing we also need to look into, is the effect of getting workers from overseas, who are ready to accept conditions that would weaken the conditions of the rest of the workforce… The realities you describe, however – especially, 'getting workers from overseas' - are all part of the Labour govern- ment's own official economic policy. After all, it was Joseph Former Foreign Minister EVARIST BARTOLO dismisses rumours of any 'kick upstairs' to the Presidency; while looking back on 40 years' involvement, in a Labour Party that now has 'a lot of work to do'…