The poodle must be thrilled
Dom Mintoff, in the days when he took showers and didn’t think the police were tracking him through his hearing-aid, with his little friend Kim Il Sung.
Yes, Joseph Muscat must have been very excited to see that old fossil Mintoff turn up at George Abela’s rally. Ma’ min rajtek, xebbahtek; birds of a feather flock together. You get the drift. Dom Mintoff’s is hardly the best endorsement Abela can hope to get. It’s marginally worse than Joseph Muscat labouring under the spectre of Darth Vader – but that, at least, comes with the very useful party machine attached.
The last thing Abela needs is Mintoff leading his chorus of cheerleaders. Yes, it might make for popularity among that particular faction of the Labour Party, but it will send everyone else screaming for the hills. This is not because anyone at all fears that the decrepit remnant of Malta’s most hated prime minister will, at the age of 91, exert any kind of influence at all on the running of the party under Abela (that remains a real fear where the Sant/Muscat combo is concerned). No, it’s because Mintoff is associated with the darkest period in recent Maltese history, a period for which he was directly responsible. He needs to be kept at arm’s length.
The credibility gap between Abela and Muscat has over the last couple of weeks been widening in Abela’s favour. But with recent mentions of Mintoff, and now his appearance at Abela’s rally, the credibility gap shrinks again and Abela loses the moral high ground and some of his reputation for soundness.
Mintoff is clearly not all there, in any case. He should be kept out of the public view if his fans wish him to be remembered as a fierce leader rather than as a shambolic old man whose mind is wandering and who isn’t particularly committed to daily ablutions. It gives me a peculiar satisfaction to see the pathetic sight he now presents – sic transit gloria mundi. Not all those who are in their 90s speak without making a word of sense. Not all of them stop taking showers and lose all interest in how they look and smell. But that has been Mintoff’s fate, and a particularly cruel one at that, given that he built his political career on an ability to manipulate the ignorant and the poorly educated with words. Some people thought this was oratorical skill. It was anything but, given that few of the words had more than two syllables, and those that did were obscene.
At one point, Mintoff actually told Abela’s crowd that the police are using his hearing-aid to track his movements. You got it: the Paraventu put a tracking device in Mintoff’s ear just in case he sneaks off for a secret rendezvous with Robert Mugabe. So we have paranoia now, too – but then we already knew that when we read his letter to George Bush or whoever, complaining that he was being spied on by the CIA.
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And the drama continues!
Have you seen this on Illum of last Sunday?
http://www.illum.com.mt/2008/04/27/t2.html
Most certainly an error of judgement. Mintoff, in retrospect perhaps, will go down in history as Malta’s greatest 20th century liability. He almost bettered the Catholic Churh in keeping the Maltese Islands backwards by at least half a century.
Daphne,
You said: ‘It gives me a peculiar satisfaction to see the pathetic sight he now presents’
I think that’s not nice of you to say so. Sic transit gloria mundi all the way, but ‘peculiar satisfaction’? Hating Mintoff and his doings is something I (I think rightfully) did in my teenage and early adulthood years, but ‘seeing what a pathetic sight he now presents’ and being gleeful about that is like ‘sparare sulla Croce Rossa’, don’t you think?
I think that GA should be ashamed of himself for using Mintoff in this way.
Thanks for posting it, Daph – At least maybe Albert Farrugia, Mcomb and all the rest can now emigrate to this blog with their political comments
But does anyone know whether it was Abela who invited the decrepit dinosaur or whether he turned up of his own free will? I can hardly imagine Abela thinking the decomposing methuselah would help him earn kudos. I do not even believe the cantankerous dodo enjoys any favour among the prospective electors of the party leader anymore or does he?
@Freethinker
Well, you can hardly imagine GA did that, but I think he did. At least a couple of Sundays ago, GA at Birgu said ‘Mintoff and people like him are welcome to my Labour Party’, so he either was invited or he came.
I wonder if Mintoff was wearing that greenish outfit he reserves for special occasions like court appearances, visits to the Electoral Office, etc
Yes, he was! Look at the photo on this link:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080427/local/mintoff-turns-up-for-george-abela-meeting
Daph, I think Abela also has a credibility problem , now that its been revealed that he too voted in favour at the executive committee meeting that the decision whether the MLP should have called an early election in 1998 should be taken by the General conference. Less than 24 hours later at the same General Conference he sprung the surprise that he was against an early election. If he really was a gentleman he should have made his views known at the Executive committee meeting and indeed tried to persuade the executive / Alfred Sant not to go for an early election. Clearly his plan was to turn the tables on AS at the general conference!
With this bravado, I tend to believe George Vella (whom everyone knows is an honest and truthful person), and not Abela, about the EU U turn story.
Hmmm I dare say Abela may not be the nice guy after all…perhaps Poodle is a safer bet for Malta after all !
Abela does not seek endorsements. Much less that of 91 year olds.
But if he is to unite the party he cannot forbid their attendance. I am sure that Abela was surprised by Mintoff’s presence last sunday. In his speech on sunday Abela made it clear he never was and will not be anybody’s puppet and at his fragile state Mintoff has no strings to pull. It is true Mintoff post 1979 undid most of what he did to till Freedom day but in death and old age we tend to remember the benefits and forgive the sins.
Like any politician seeking power GA needs to make the best out of any situation and exploit all opportunities. It appears that while he is popular with the PN and floating voters he lags far behind JM where it matters, i.e. within the MLP. If he doesn’t get the delegates votes he simply won’t be leader. I think that the Mintoff thing was one way of gaining some more support within the MLP were many are still unhappy with the way Sant treated him. I am pretty sure that GA does not condone Mintoff’s methods or style. He has given ample proof of that, (unless he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing). Mintoff still has a lot of respect within the MLP and his endorsement of GA will carry some weight.
I think the GonziPN – wants to remain a conservative nation. My only problem with Abela is only one: that he is coming out as another conservative person, on the same lines like the beloved saint Gonzi, which at the age of 26 I’m pretty much tired of hearing the same old record.
personally, I can’t see what is wrong with Muscat: he has set a better vision than Abela, he was the first with some guts to say ‘let’s speak abotu divorce’ and if elected ‘ to apologize for the 70s and 80s’ … what he needs to do is to sent jason away, which i’m pretty sure he will do if he is elected as leader.
My impression is that the MLP is divided into two main camps: the conservatives George Abela (remember he is backed by Marlene Pullicino) and the Social democrats: Joseph Muscat, Evarist Bartolo and David Gulia …the rest, I do not know.
So I think; the choice for malta, lays in this – liberal vs conservative … progressive vs status quo. It is a very important choice to make and even the liberal among the GonziPN should reflect upon it.
Thanks
[Moderator – If you think that Joseph Muscat is a liberal, then you really don’t know what you’re talking about. Liberals do not say ‘let’s talk about divorce’ fleetingly, and without meaning it, they do not have Joe Debono Grech, a man who spends his free time standing under statues of saints, as mentor, and they do not argue for ‘international regulation of financial markets’. For all their rhetoric about the bourgeois, Labour are going to elect the worst of the worst of the lower middle class: a middle manager with no mind of his own, and a goatee to boot. Who has watched The Office and not thought of David Brent when they look at Joseph Muscat? When Joseph Muscat says ‘let’s talk’ about something, he means exactly that – there’s no ‘doing’ involved.]
It is rather shameful that whatever political opinion one shares, some people still live with a heavy chip on their shoulders.
Many in a most puerile method tried and are still trying in changing historical/political facts.One might agree or disagree on method/s used in the past. However, one had to keep in mind the environment and situation at each particular time any event took place.
To just give one ( there are plenty ) example. when Mintoff and his party were elected to power by just a handful of votes his administration found:
1. Malta was practically bankrupt
2. Poverty and Beggars everywhere , .. one should remind all generations that each and every morning in entering Valletta, first thing one would have met where the number of beggars etc
3. The attempt by ‘someone ‘ to bribe two Mlp’s MPs to
cross the floor.
4. Whole generations that were paid by previous PN Administrations to emigrate.
5. The problem of unemployement and those employed paid by pennies ( have it or leave it attitude)
6. The acute housing problem.
7. The power of our Catholic Church over the majority of the people.
8. The choice of Head of State still in our colonial masters.
9. An Eductation system caring ONLY for those who can afford .. the chosen few.
10.Foriegn bases on our soil without any local say in their
employement .. wherever.
The above are just a FEW examples of the situation that Mintoff and his adminstration had to face when elected to Parliament.
Nobody, and I repeat, NOBODY, can ever challenge these political facts.
Heavy and strong political, social and economical reforms followed. Many of these reforms that took place under Mintoff’s Adminstrations opened the doors for all that we are enjoying today.
It amazes me that some people are so ‘biased’ that they can no longer make a simple comment on a subject without demonstrating their twisted wishes or dreams.
On the other hand, I see Mintoff’s presence at a ‘meeting’ of someone, who was at second highest post of the Adminstration he himself toppled from office, as cheeky to sat the least. I do not see it as a sign of redemption.A Study of Mintoff’s political history shows he is not a person who ever repents on his actions. Maybe, I am mistaken. Maybe that after 10 years and at his old age, Mintoff realised that his worst ever political mistake was
his puerile behaviour during A. Sant administration of 1996/98.Lot of maybes and I hope one day Mintoff would explain his presence.Lot to expect from Mintoff. I suppose.
Whatever.It is thanks to Mintoff and all his enigmas that we are enjoying all that we have today. Nothing and NOBODY can ever change that.
PS. I AM NOT OT NEVER WAS what some people call MINTOFFIAN.
THAT I SWEAR TO ALL.
@Francis V…. pl see my blog above. I really think that GA may turn out to be a wolf in sheeps clothing ! Perhaps with JM, its what you see is what you get …and a safer pair of hands
At the Qormi activity George Abela greeted Mintoff as an “honoured guest” and let him speak. Therefore Abela must greatly respect him.
@Peter Muscat – you wrote that thanks to Mintoff we are enjoying all that we have today. Yes, life in the European Union.
@David S
I am not at all sure that with JM “what you see is what you get”. Call it a gut feeling, but his smugness and his carefully worded replies scare me. and yes, DCG, you are right, he does remind me of David Brent from the Office.
[Moderator – Friendly hint: I am not DCG.]
This is getting interesting… now both leadership contenders can count on an undesirable ex-leader among their supporters. (Although undeclared, it’s obvious the clone can count on the support of the original)
I don’t think people should make too much of Mintoff’s presence. At this stage, he can do little more than send shivers down Nationalist spines … and possibly bring old guard delegates who were disgusted by Sant’s “Traditur” insult to the old man in GA’s fold.
@ Adrian Borg. Nice to by cynical but it was wiser in accepting facts.Thanks man.
Mintoff was invited (over the phone) to George Abela’s meeting by the strategy group of one of the contestants (not George Abela’s). It seems that whoever thought this one up got the desired result. Look at today’s cartoon in The Times. Shame.
http://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080429/cartoon-of-the-day/cartoon-of-the-day
@Moderator .. when I read your elogy about Joseph Muscat I really had a private laugh. I know it is meanful of me to say so.
Just a personal opinion. Would it be fairer if a moderator is not biased and if he/she wants to deliver his/her personal opinion , he/she does that under a different nick?
From my personal experience, it helps a great deal when a moderator is fair and never biased.It is much more healthier and much more interesting.
Finally, I wouldn’t be presumptous and say as you did that the person who might be chosen as new MLP Leader is going to be that and that and coming from such and such and such a class.Such a remark is full of hate and spite, which is not even healthy on the person who utters such remarks.
I hope and pray that who ever is chosen as Leader of the MLP would be capable to fill the post with dignity and above all to deliver a better future for one and all.
Tony, I think it is simple to know who wanted Mintoff to be there.
We just need to know who gave him a lift to the meeting. We know that Mintoff needs assistance to travel, having seen that youtube video where he fooled a journalist to get a lift to Valletta, when he was supposed to cast his nomination for the general elections, but ended up beating journalists :P
http://www.hi5.com/friend/photos/displayPhotoUser.do?photoId=689654030&ownerId=149066490&albumId=104761090
http://www.hi5.com/friend/photos/displayPhotoUser.do?photoId=689731209&ownerId=149066490&albumId=104952136
Ok – so lets imagine the scenario that MLP chooses Abela (which is a good possibility) – do you really think that the GonziPN will suddenly stop attacking the MLP?
Will you switch your attention on the GonziPN for once?
I think many, like me, have always seen the MLP as some sort of an open party. Whoever can get a few votes is welcomed on board. Fair enough, but you risk having people like Marlene Pullicino, Leo Brincat and Joe Debono Grech – pretty much conservatives eh!? My, only fear is that with G.Abela, we’ll have another Christian Democrat and not a liberal socialist.
Personally, I would love to see Abela, Muscat and Bartolo working together but I doubt whether it is possible.
[Moderator – Isn’t ‘liberal socialist’ a contradiction in terms?]
At least Daphne finally admitted that George Abela isnt the angel that the PN have been making him out to be in the past weeks. The acceptance of the nonagerian Mintoff (who does make a sorry sight, you should see him in court haggling over electricity bills with his multimillion liri fortune) on the campaign ticket with his ‘endorsement’ is a serious strategic error for Abela. Wasen’t he supposed to be forward looking?
And the journalist who accompanied Mintoff on his ill fated ‘tour’ of Evans Building to cast his nomination was none other than ex NET News Keith Demicoli, the supposedly independent journalist at the national broadcasting sttaion PBS. One of his first assignments having miraculously been appointed just before the election was the shadowing of Mintoff by his equally independent news editor (also appointed just before the election). So with all your presumptions and witch hunts, you should analyse who really wanted Mintoff there.
actually it is not.
Socialism is divided into two main branches: the authorative and the liberal wings. unfortunetely, the authorative socialism (communism: the centralization of the State) took over and gave a bad reputation to the whole socialism. Indeed, Marx was already being criticized by the liberal wing and no liberal would have accepted communism or fascism or any form of centralization.
I’m pretty sure that you’ll find liberal socialism an interesting line of thought. In fact when people speak of social laws that should reflect the needs of the people regardless of sex, ethnic, age or religion it has its roots in liberal socialism.
of course, it is a line of thought and not a belief, it is open to criticsm. But I think you’ll find some validity to it when people like Marlene Pullicino say that she is going to vote ‘no’to divorce because you are either a catholic or not! when in reality it is the State limiting the freedom of choice that the indivduals should have. The same applies to abortion – even though you might not like; who are you to interfere with the woman’s choice? co-habitations, gay-unions… etc, etc… issues that are usually opposed on ‘moral’ grounds.
Basically, de-centralize so to let the individual expand. Invest in education, the education that questions, challenges and doubts and not the indoctrination that tell you to follow and never doubt.
(I apologize if it was too long – thanks)
[Moderator – Actually, liberalism tends to emphasise the importance of individual liberty while socialism emphasises the importance of duty, so I would expect a ‘liberal socialist’ to have a half-baked approach to ‘letting the individual expand’.]
Do you have my feeling that the Times is obviously siding with JM? Today there were two reports about a meeting between MF and UHM and another one between JM and UHM. Only the JM report carried a photo with him smiling and chatting with the UHM officials (at least on the web version).
Hi Daphne,
I think your idea of ‘liberalism’ is the one that has roots in stirner or the so called americans ‘libertarian’ -(but again these are tags and are easily mixed up) basically the free market; Ironically even Berlusconi calls himself a liberal – but does not shun away from censoring and imposing his will on the press
A Liberal socialist (but it can have different names, such as classical liberal – that comes out from the enlightnment concept …) will go against centralization to give more power for creativity and thought. So I do not see it as half-baked at all.
@Rene – I am not the moderator. The moderator is a man half my age.
@Peter Muscat
Those of us who are not challenging your interpretation of the situation in Malta prior to Mintoff ‘winning’ the 1971 election are also not challenging the idea that Shrek is a true story.
If I had to nominate one event as the single biggest disaster to hit this country in the 20th Century I would be hard pressed to choose between Mintoff and WWII, although I would finally settle on WWII, although we are still suffering the consequences of Mintoff in the way we do politics today, over 60 years since he took over the MLP.
Oh, and by the way, I’m from Valletta and what I remember as the first thing you saw was Labour demonstrators smashing the shop windows on a regular basis….
@ Mike C … there is always a reason behind any action. I see yours too.
In the 70s we had a social, political revolution. I am not so naive to ever accept that a Labour Administration was solely responsible for any crude episodes or terrible ones.
It takes two for tango.
Before Mintoff was in power Valleta where you live was pestered by daily beggars.First thing Mintoff did was to clean our Capital City from such beggars by introducing a social welfare system we still enjoy.The main opposition to Mintoff’s plan to close all British Military bases on the island came from Valleta business owners and prositutes that used to make their fortunes from their military and naval clients.Further more, one should also know that the onus of the oppostion in ousting our colonial masters used certain Valletta commercial outlets as their base and quarters.If you digg deeper on ther situation then, you be surprised of your own findings.
In short when Mintoff left office, he left Valleta once again the ‘city for gentleman’. My dear friend have a look around our Capital City, you live in , and keep in mind that whatever you see and enjoy, there is always a large contribution if not all, of the MLP Administrations.
You have a right to your opinion but you have no right to change facts.
@ Peter Muscat get a life! The MLP contribution to Valletta is the disaster of City Gate Complex, The removal of the Palace Armoury to house Parliament, and many exhibits went missing in the process, The closure of the Suq tal Belt with Ixtri Malti, the housing of the Libyan Cultural institute in the Main Guard, and covering the British insignia with Arab writing, moved the OPM to Castille, as in dictatorships the grandest building is reserved for “the ruler” and not parliament !
To be fair a large amount of slum clearance was done by the labour govt , granted .
Peter Muscat your comments of yesterday cannot go unanswered. You said you were giving one example ending up listing ten. You say that nobody can challenge these facts.
Well Well here goes:
Point 1: The Borg Olivier governement got Malta independent and immediately embarked on transforming the Maltese economy from one based on the British military spending into one based on industry spending (investing) alot of money in building factories and the infrastructure from scratch.
Computers were already introduced in Malta making us amongst the first to embark on IT. Singapore took Malta as a model,it being in the same predicament as ours having just acheived Independence. They carried on and see where they got to today over the years. Not Malta though come in Labour in 1971: Infracstucture went to the dogs. Desalinisation plants dismantled, the computerisation process stopped, water and electricity and telephone bills issued handwritten, I still have them, keeping them as a memento of the progress these island’s acheived in the good old days under is-salvatur ta’Malta. If investing in progress is banruptcy then yes Malta was bankrupt!
Pont 2; Yes there were beggars running around the streets at the time but not all were genuinly poor I remember one who used to beg by Stella Maris church in Sliema who when he died left quite a sum of money stashed away in his abode.
Point 3: this is what two Gozitan labour MPs had claimed at the time yet no one was ever brought to justice. It was Alfred Baldacchino from the PN side who actually crossed over to the MLP under mysterious circumstances. Maybe he saw the light!
Point 4: It was a labour administration who introduced assisted passage scheme to would be migrants. Not a bad idea after all as most of those who emigrated did very well for themselves some today, and quite a few of them, have become millionaires. The minister of emigration himself Johnnie Cole ended up emigrating together with his family.
Pont 5: See comments to point one above. The investment created which you referred to as bankruptcy would have created employment and also done away with the abuse of exploitation of the workforce. How did is-Salvatur solve the unemployment problem? Creating labour corps the likes of Pijuniri/Dirghajn il Maltin/ Izra u rabbi. And were these paid decent wages? Of course not not even the minimum wage!!
Point 6: The acute housing problem was solved by having to pay kickbacks to acquire a plot tal-Gvern and a few Johnny come lately entering the construction industry and building wherever they wanted to ruining the environment in a number of places around the island since obtaining building permits for them was like drinking a cup of tea.
Point 7: This was a process which had to happen anyway one day or another. You see the church too like you did in your comments tried to justify its past misdoings by stating that one had to consider the environment and circumstances existing at the time. To mention a couple, the Inquisition and Galileao’s condemnation. The ‘interdett’ in the sixties too was wrong. I’m honestly sick of hearing this phrase repeated ad nauseam by whoever wants to justify misdoings.. What’s bad today was always bad and will remain so.
Point 8: Rubbish. The Maltese government chose on its own free will to retain Maurice Dorman aas Governor of Malta. Malta at the time having retained the status of a monarchy. Dorman was not imposed on us when Malta became independent .
Point 9: Yes it was difficult for working class families to give a good education to their children. However most many working class families did not even want to give their children an education they were more interested in getting them to work. Those who really wanted to however did give their children a good education, admittedly at a great sacrifice. Some grew up to occupy very high positions in both the professional field and the Civil Service. Some even were knighted by the British monarch and today addressed as Sir. These families deserve our greatest admiration. And by the way is-Salvatur came from a wealthy background? He and his brothers and sisters all got a good education (academically speaking for Dom at least).
Point 10: This is the cherry on the cake. Yes the Borg Olivier administration did agrre that the British and their allies were to be allowed to use their military facilities here in Malta for ten years after Independence. This in order for the local government to switch the local economy as explained in point 1 above. So the term of the use of these facilities would have ended in 1974 but come is-salvatur in 1971 and hey presto the term is extended by a further five years.
Yes Mr Muscat facts are sacred and no one is to twist them to accomodate himself.
Moderator excuse me for posting such a long comment.
@ Herbie .. Indeed your writings are a wonderful example how facts can be twisted or manipulated for some’s hidden agenda.
Please try to be credible by NOT saying UNTRUTHS.
eg: Two persons were accused and found guilty of trying to bribe the MLP MP’s in question.
Your cherry on that cake is a half truth … the British were to leave when it suited them without any economic help to switch our economy. By his notorious guile Mintoof managed to squeeze from the English tax payers millions.
There was never any sort of gaurantee that the British bases were to be closed by 1974. So much so that British sympatisers did their utmost to prevent such an written agreement.Such manifestations and demonstrations followed and re actions too. I referred to these in other post.
Again your misinformation: The acute housing problems was solved be creating ‘ housing estates’ all over Malta and Gozo. Of course land speculatotrs always existed. they existed then and exist now.JPO’s saga ..Supermarkets, etc etc lol.
Indeed to solve the deadly situation of employement, corps were created. Later on many members of thse corps were integrated iether in the civil service or private sectors.Many of them today enjoy high positions too in different sectors.Further more employement was abundant and after 1975 to 1985 thousands of emigrants returned back home.
You are wrong too in saying that Dorman wasn’t imposed on us. So much so, that on Mintoff’s insistence and ‘no deal’ policy of his, the British Government was ‘forced’ to replace him by a Maltese, Sir Anthony Mamo.
Min Cole you referred has nothing to do with the 70s and 80s.
Finally, you said facts are sacred. Indeed they are and I agree.Why you did not mention the ’emigration scheme’ created by the PN Admistration through which hundreds of Maltese kids ( supposodly coming from large families)were sent to Western Australia promising such kids heaven on earth.But of course this did not happen after 1971. It happened before. What these kids went through makes us all cry with shame.
Re the education system you chose to respond in a silly way simply because deep inside you knows am more thenm correct.
Yes facts are sacred and it is evident that to persons like you and I , it hurts a lot to narrate and make public.