The fact that the future of the Labour Party is a choice between Joseph Muscat’s faction and an alternative faction that doesn’t is not surprising. The Labour Party is still stuck in the same predicament it was in 2019-20 and the problem has got worse as Joseph Muscat today, has more influence and power over the LAbopur Party than he did in 2020.
Although Joseph Muscat’s power and influence in the party comes at the expense of the actual leader pf the party and the Prime Minister, it is Prime Minister Robert Abela himself who handed over this power to Joseph Muscat. The Prime Minister rehabilitated Joseph Muscat by protecting him from the law, defending him from investigations, allowing him to participate in Labour Party events, and basically allow full legality immunity with a Police Commissioner and Attorney-General that refuse to investigate and prosecute him for his crimes.
There are various reasons why the Prime Minister acted in this manner. Firstly, the Prime Minister agreed on a Devil’s Pact with Joseph Muscat to protect him in exchange for his support for the party leadership race. Secondly, Robert Abela fulfilled his deal with Joseph Muscat for various reasons. The Prime Minister has a cowardly character because he lacks fighting political experience – he had his political career handed over to him and has no experience at all being in Opposition. Fighting against the Opposition when you are in Government is easy, but the Prime Minister has always been afraid to face Joseph Muscat in the party.
Joseph Muscat broke his deal with the Prime Minister over his political interference, his political commentary and his back-room conspiracies and underhanded support for several Labour MPs and election candidates. More strikingly, Joseph Muscat actively campaigned for two particular MEP candidates, namely Alex Agius Saliba and Daniel Attard and they got elected thanks to his support. In contrast, the Labour Party was supporting Thomas Bajada. Basically, Joseph Muscat has violated his Devil’s Pact with the Prime Minister by building a political base inside the Labour Party that can challenge official party preferences and decisions – this violation is aggravated and egregious.
Even by any criminal standard, the Prime Minister owes nothing to Joseph Muscat, least of all protection from the police and prosecution. Joseph Muscat’s influence in the party is unwavering and significant as to match the influence of the Prime Minister himself.
This situation is unhealthy, toxic and has degraded the Labour Party even further into a criminal prop that protects and fights for Joseph Muscat, even by taking absurd decisions that humiliate us as a nation. Some of the top-brass inside Labour are aware that matters are deteriorating and going out of control. There is also increasing resentment against Alex Agius Saliba for bringing the party into this state of affairs. The problem is that there seems to be no potential changes to this situation until the Prime Minister abdicates from his role following another term – if he wins the next election.
Joseph Muscat remains a powerful force to reckon with in the Labour Party and he is the primary reason for all the wrong things in Labour right now. Holding him accountable for his crimes would be the most efficient way to relieve Maltese politics from his influence and control.
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