A poyim for Kim, by Dom and Agatha

Published: April 18, 2012 at 11:16am

On Dom Mintoff’s birthday in August 1984, he and Agatha Barbara, who was president, wrote a ‘poyim’ to North Korean dictator Kim Il Sung.

No, I have not made this up.

No, it is not a joke.

The poem was broadcast last night on Bondi+, along with film footage of a North Korean dance troupe performing ‘Ma taghmlu xejn mal-perit Mintoff’ during his visit to that country.

I wonder if Yana Mintoff has ‘the facts on this’. But then I suppose she would approve.

TO THE GREATEST HERO AND PATRIOT OF KOREA H.E. KIM IL SUNG, GENERAL SECRETARY OF WPK CC AND PRESIDENT OF DPRK

To you who triumped over the ruling Japanese
And freed your country from
The imperialists powers united against the Korean people

To you who founded the immortal Juche idea
And from the ashes of the past
Built a strong new country

To you who achieved unity
And multiplied the wealth amongst the workers
Through your untiring effots

To you who with assistance and cooperation
Strengthened Malta’s will for freedom
So that in 1979 it rid its shores from the foreigner

To you the great leader of the East striving to unite your people on one Korean land
And who works for world peace
the Maltese people give honour

President Agatha Barbara

Prime Minister Dom Mintoff

Valletta, Malta
6 August, 1984




55 Comments Comment

  1. thinker says:

    It keeps getting worse, doesn’t it?

  2. Pyong Young says:

    Does my memory serve me right when I say that in return we used to get some “sulfat tal-ammonja” at cheap prices to, effectively, advance in Malta the Juche ideas?

  3. mark v says:

    defni, tkomplix tohrog velenu kontra s-salvatur!

  4. marks says:

    You are bringing back bad memories. Pity the young generation (my sons included) cannot fathom the degree of misery and constant tension we lived in our teenage years.

    • Anonymous Coward says:

      Colin Camilleri
      Today, 20:19
      Funny! Various GonziPN apologists here want to raise the past about the chocolate Mars, Toothpastes, colour TVs etc! Well in the 80s the maltese were so rich they could afford to go abroad to buy chocolate. That is what I call good standard of living and luxury. Today! shelves are full or chocolate but only the chosen few can afford it!

      Others try to “remind” us about TV bribes to get a colour TV.. May be they forgot the latest mega scandal circulating the VAT department! Well known businessmen who “happen” to be very close to the PN being found guilty of corrupt practises and defrauding the maltese citizens thousands of euros in due VAT! and with the help of insiders!!! get a life! If life is so good, call an election and leave the intelligent democratic people of this island decide once and for all!

      Unbelievable…

  5. Pedantiku says:

    Spoken as one man to another.

  6. GB says:

    Simply unbelievable. Thank you Lord for ridding us of that load of rubbish.

  7. Roy says:

    Looks like 1984, Daphne.

  8. mandango70 says:

    But who the heck cares? I mean apart from the usual suspects, Angus Black, Baxter whattosit, Hurdie Purdie Wurlie, Troy….

    Che noiosa che stai diventando!

    [Daphne – Who the heck cares? People find this kind of thing fascinating.]

  9. Jozef says:

    ‘According to Juche, there is no god but kimilsung….’

    ‘…Juche’s sole export crop, opium, which annually earns $500 million to $1 billion….’

    http://www.northkoreanchristians.com/juche-idea.html

    What was it Joseph said about enhancing economic relations?

    • Catsrbest says:

      ….”According to Juche, there is no god but Kim Ilsung, the country’s “Eternal President”, …”
      So where are Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il today? Eternal my foot.

  10. H.P. Baxxter says:

    TO THE GREATEST HERO AND SAVIOUR OF THE MALTESE WORKER THE HON. PERIT DOMINIC MINTOFF, LEADER OF THE MALTA LABOUR PARTY AND PRIME MINISTER OF MALTA

    To you who triumphed over the ruling British
    And freed your country from
    The imperialist powers united against the Maltese people

    To you who founded the immortal Malta l-Ewwel u Qabel Kollox idea
    And from the ashes of the past
    Built a strong new country

    To you who achieved hegemony
    And multiplied the dependency amongst the workers
    Through your untiring efforts

    To you who with assistance and cooperation
    Strengthened Libya’s and North Korea’s legitimacy
    So that from the 1970s they could oppress their peoples

    To you the great leader of the Mediterranean striving to unite your people on one Maltese land
    And who works for world peace
    the Maltese people give honour

    To you who ruled over these people
    And thought your rule would last forever
    You are senile now, and finished

    Citizen H.P. Baxxter
    Valletta, Malta
    18 April 2012

  11. AJS says:

    Burn, Billy Shakespeare, BURN!

  12. Jozef says:

    An undercover video showing the extent of opium use.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgNr5FIqILE

    The images make evident the method employed to control the population, and what the so called self-reliance rests upon.

  13. ooops! says:

    Thank you, Daphne, for accentuating what life was all about during the Malta Labour Party era.

    I was much too young to realise what the stark reality was besides the Desserta (Chinese?), tinned tuna that stank like catfood, green toothpaste, and the jew b’xejn jew xejn war on the church schools.

  14. Kenneth Cassar says:

    How sweet.

  15. Anthony says:

    Fortunately Kim Il Sung did not suffer from AIDS.

    Otherwise both is-Salvatur and Agti would have contracted it through the oral route.

  16. Kurt Mifsud Bonnici says:

    No wonder the Americans hated us.

  17. ciccio says:

    Considering North Koreas disposition to world peace, a few Japanese haikus would do the trick:

    Who, of Violation of Human Rights,
    are the Eternal Supreme Perpetrators?
    The Kim Dynasty, the Dictators.

    Condolences to a dictator,
    Without colourful adjectives?
    Joseph Muscat, leader of the progressives.

    Shining achievements
    Meetings with splendour,
    Why was the Ambassador meeting kept secret?

  18. GD says:

    http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/en/newsdetails/news/national/Pullicino-Orlando-Israelis-culturally-European-and-fit-for-membership-20120416#.T4wk0PjGzIU.facebook

    How can Maltatoday allow such blatantly racist anti-Semitic remarks on its comments board? Isn’t that kind of thing against the law?

  19. Spiru says:

    Nobel Prize quality…..

  20. Angus Black says:

    Mintoff and Agatha Barbara wrote the poyim?

    It’s more likely the work of the other ‘one’, Toni Buttigieg.

    Neither Dumink nor Agatina had the talent for writing poetry as proven by the absence of gutter phrases in the above.

  21. Charles Cassar says:

    The poetry is even more atrocious than the political sentiment.

  22. Joe says:

    My God! This is really embarrassing. Is it possible this ‘Saviour of Malta’ stooped so low in ar*e-licking?

  23. A. Charles says:

    I see that North Korea gave Malta aid in the form of artificial manure. Now that’s what I call brotherly love.

  24. David S says:

    Can you imagine the standards of Dom Mintoff in government – submitting the awful partisan song to be danced by a troupe at the gala dinner in honour of the Maltese prime minister on an official state visit.

    I recall that dance was repeated ad nauseam on Xandir Malta in the run up to the election in 1981.

    Yana, do us all a favour and go and hide under a stone.

    Your family name is stomach-churning to a large majority of people who suffered so much. Yes, may that demented man rot in hell.

  25. Antoniette says:

    The fact that Joseph Muscat has been caught red-handed cavorting with these enemies of freedom and democracy should be more than enough of an eye-opener for those people seriously thinking of voting the Nationalists out.

    Joseph is NOT safe to try, once in, it will be as hard as, if not harder, to get him out of Castile as it was to get Mintoff out.

    Judging by the company he craves, and indeed seeks, I fear that not even the fact that we are now part of the European Union will be sufficient to stop him.

    I would think long and hard before committing future generations to suffering like we did.

  26. silvio says:

    One day I might let Lou Bondi have a look at some of the poems written by past Maltese Nationalist politicians, praising Mussolini.

    But only if he promises to have them read in one of his talk shows.

    [Daphne – Silvio, for the 100th time and more: this is not the same Nationalist Party. At all. If it were, people like me would be running a mile, not voting for it. Labour and Kim Il Sung, on the other hand….As Lou said to Leo Brincat last night on television, ‘Why do you keep saying that the past is over and done with? You are a big part of that past and you are sitting before me right now, planning on being the future.’ Or words to that effect.]

    • silvio says:

      The same words could fit perfectly on the other foot.

      • DUST says:

        Geez, you really need things spelt out! Here goes:

        Old NP = Glorify Mussolini
        New NP = Denounce Mussolini (Doh! 70 years of hindsight)

        Old LP = Glorify Mintoff
        New LP = Glorify Mintoff (unsurprisingly, as many in ‘New LP’ were members in ‘Old LP’)

        There… geddit now!?

    • Grezz says:

      It is not the same Nationalist Party, but it definitely is the same Labour Party … and one with even more bile brewing, seeing that they have been in opposition for so long.

      • silvio says:

        @ Dust.
        Just to remind you that a building is as strong as its foundation. We all know what those of the P.N were.

        They should stop calling themselves Nationalists and at the same time renounce their past.

        The present party is nothing but a socialst party.

        All true Nationalists feel betrayed.

        [Daphne – Which is, presumably, why they are migrating to Labour, the new right-wing, conservative and xenophobic party, which has long had an extreme tendency towards authoritarianism anyway.]

    • A.Attard says:

      The context was that the whole world was praising Mussolini , the Pope, Churchill and Roosevelt amongst them. In 1929 the whole catholic world praised Mussolini for making peace with the pope through the Lateran treaties.

      Now pray who was praising Kim Il Sung simultaneously with Mintoff?

  27. Wayne Hewitt says:

    ‘North Korea is one of the Maltese Government’s closest friends. North Korea has given aid in various forms, mainly in artificial manure and agricultural equipment.’

    All horse manure was taken up by that time…

  28. neriku says:

    X’ WAHX TA’ NIES

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