Ramona Attard, the President of the Labour Party’s executive, has just resigned, leaving the position vacant. Alex Sciberras has announced his intention to contest for the role.
I was a bit surprised to hear the news. Alex Sciberras doesn’t have the support and popularity of a Labour politician. He was Mayor of Msida but that was a long-time ago. He was also my lawyer for some years and with him I won the “Li Tkisser Sewwi” censorship case in around 2011.
Alex Sciberras was one of the earliest supporters of Joseph Muscat, supporting him in the leadership campaign for the Labour Party. He worked at the OPM as a lawyer until 2017. Then after some time, he went to work for Chris Fearne at the Ministry of Health, and today, he is defending Chris Fearne in Court in the Vitals and Steward case. His late father was Judge Philip Sciberras, a Labour stalwart who also worked for Dom Mintoff after he had graduated in law.
I don’t expect he’ll be able to change anything: the tide in Labour has viciously turned in favor of Joseph Muscat, with most positions being filled by his allies and associates. He will serve as a face for Labour, showing that there are still some “Last Mohicans” left, but politically, he will be surrounded by Muscat’s men and Robert Abela’s acolytes.
The Labour Party is heading for a disastrous result in the next general elections as it projects itself as an antiquated and criminal party locked in itself and its own internal problems. Anyone contesting the Labour Party posts at this stage is throwing themselves into the fire. This also applies to Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg who has so far distanced himself from his government’s controversies. The only way these people can be effective in changing anything in Labour at this stage is if Robert Abela leaves and the Muscat faction is purged out. It’s not going to happen until the Labour Party loses the election, especially with Chris Fearne’s exit as Deputy-Prime Minister.
The only advantage Alex Sciberras has, is that by taking on a role in Labour right now, he will be increasing his influence with the Labour delegates as someone who is not afraid to take a risk for the Party. That’s very positive in the eyes of Labour delegates, but one is yet to see how, if ever, these individuals will be able to change anything.
Website Editor
Historian and Publisher
Leave a Reply