Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1524836
2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 4 AUGUST 2024 ANALYSIS Balancing Labour's power: how Labour delegates have on various occasions defied their leaders in the choice of his deputies, JAMES DEBONO says in this retrospective of some historical precedents LABOUR delegates have a tradition of counterbalancing the power of their leader by electing deputy leaders not moulded in their leader's im- age, reflecting the mindset of the party's grassroots. Perhaps the more recent ex- ample redolent of such a de- liberate choice was Toni Abe- la, the deputy leader for party affairs elected shortly after Jo- seph Muscat was made leader in 2008, together with Anglu Farrugia as deputy leader for parliamentary affairs. Farrugia had previous- ly failed his leadership bid against incumbent Alfred Sant after the 2003 general election but was resoundingly elected as deputy leader in a contest against Chris Cardona, later a close ally and friend of Joseph Muscat. Farrugia, a former police of- ficer who had challenged Sant for the party leadership after the EU referendum election loss, which he had square- ly blamed on a vote-buying scheme organised by the Na- tionalist Party, had been nar- rowly defeated for the top post. In years to come, having ex- pressed reservations about La- bour's shift from opposing EU membership to embracing its draft EU constitutional treaty, his belligerent style and 'old Labour' mindset were possi- bly seen as a counterbalance to Joseph Muscat's moderate, continental and socially liberal brand of politics. So, while delegates over- whelmingly elected the 34-year-old Joseph Muscat with 494 votes in a run-off against George Abela, who garnered 291 votes, Anglu Far- rugia was elected deputy lead- er for parliamentary affairs by 535 votes to Chris Cardona's 293. Toni Abela, whose principled stance against old Labour's corruption had originally led to his expulsion from the party in 1989, was a different kettle of fish. He was more aligned with the new leader's socially liber- al and modern outlook, but his socialist rhetoric and fiery or- atory also endeared him to the party's grassroots, providing a contrast to Muscat's more business-friendly approach. Abela easily defeated Gavin Gulia, a former justice minis- ter under Alfred Sant in a run- off, following the elimination of candidates Joe Mifsud and Clyde Joe Cassar. However, the choice of dep- uty leaders later came back to haunt the party on the eve of the 2013 election, as the Na- tionalist Party identified Ang- lu Farrugia as the weakest link in Labour's chain of command. Following Farrugia's poor performance in a debate with counterpart Simon Busuttil, Muscat quickly removed Far- rugia under the pretext that he had attacked a member of the judiciary and replaced him with the popular MEP and for- mer Air Malta chairman Louis Grech. Even in this choice, Muscat was careful to select a depu- ty leader who, while aligned with his thinking and moder- ate brand, was older and more experienced, thus addressing concerns about Muscat's own inexperience. The clash of ministers under Muscat Muscat's grip on the party was strengthened after 2013 to the extent that, despite the Panama Papers scandal, Kon- rad Mizzi was still elected deputy leader for party affairs, with the support of 97% of del- egates in a one-horse race in 2016. Significantly, Muscat paved Daniel Jose Micallef George Vella (left) and Joseph Brincat (right) with Alfred Sant Toni Abela Charles Mangion Chris Fearne