In 1979, Mintoff had Muammar Gaddafi. In 2011, Joseph Muscat has Mary Spiteri.
Joseph Muscat lights the flame of freedom with the torch of the socialist party
Clearly, the Song for Europe contest doesn’t tank up Malta’s naff quotient, so every year we also have a performance to mark the eve of Jum Il-Helsien.
This year down at Birgu, the senior songstress Mary Spiteri was trucked in to warble big hits from the rock opera Gensna – Mietna Ghall-Barrani, that kind of thing. Miss Spiteri supports the Labour Party passionately. The last time I heard her sing, it was in the 2003 general election campaign and she was on the stage at a giant Labour mass meeting, dedicating the title song from the film Titanic to Nationalist Party leader Eddie Fenech Adami who, she said to much laughter from her audience, was about to sink like that famous vessel.
This past evening hdejn il-monument tal-helsien mil-hakma tal-barrani, she dedicated a song to Dom Mintoff instead, “for all the greatness he brought to Malta” (and then we’re surprised because people go wild for Gaddafi). Then she turned to Joseph Muscat and told him: “Dr Muscat, din irrid nghidilek, biex inkun ghidtha qabel ma mmut. Int tfakkarni f’ Mintoff.” (Dr Muscat, I want to tell you this before I die: you are so much like Mintoff.)
Meanwhile, a big screen showed footage of the original Jum il-Helsien ceremony back in 1979. Well, not quite the authentic footage, because they EDITED OUT THE MAN WHO WAS GUEST OF HONOUR THAT DAY, MUAMMAR GADDAFI.
I thought this particularly amusing, given that much of Muscat’s speech was taken up by dramatic declarations that Malta will never serve as a military base again, when the subject has come up only because of the bad behaviour of the man Labour chose to edit out of the original ‘end of military base’ celebrations.
Funny old world, isn’t it. Gaddafi was Mintoff’s guest of honour to celebrate the end of Malta as a military base, and 32 years on here we are, with both political parties united in their insistence that Malta will not be used as a military base against him. Gaddafi was a good strategist to bully and bribe Mintoff into that one, because look, now his investment is paying off.
As expected, Muscat had nothing to say about Libya, but plenty to say about illegal immigration. Like his opposite number in the Auberge de Castille, he segued – totally unabashed – from a statement that Malta will not cooperate with the coalition forces to a demand that they give Malta ‘active solidarity’ in coping with immigrants.
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Here’s how timesofmalta.com are reporting it.
Speaking at the foot of the monument before leading the party leadership to the top to light the torch, Dr Muscat told a packed audience that Malta believed in peace and while it would always be there to help in times of conflicts, it would retain its neutrality and not take sides.
“We are here to renew our promise that Malta will never be a military base again. We will not be a war base but a centre of peace.
“We will be there to offer help, without taking sides but assisting those who are fighting to help them gain peace,” he said.
Dr Muscat said it was a trick of destiny that while Malta commemorated Freedom Day, the Mediterranean was facing the biggest upheaval it ever had ever faced in modern history.
This gave Freedom Day a more relevant meaning.
What was happening today, he said, showed that Malta had vision 32 years ago. The decision to close off the military base had saved Malta then and the country now remained free.
Freedom and independence, he said, were the foundations on which Malta had been built and his generation was proud of both achievements.
Echoing the late President Guido de Marco, Dr Muscat said there could never be peace in Europe, unless there was peace in the Mediterranean.
He said that only if there was peace could a prosperous country and European Union be built.
On immigration, the Labour leader said that Malta had helped other countries evacuate their people from a war zone without distinction and it expected the same kind of assistance should it be required.
Solidarity, he said, had to be meaningful and not just a word.
Malta would keep insisting that it should be helped and would raise its voice if necessary.
“We are good but not gullible. We are ready to help but we have to be helped as well,” he said..
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Sad story indeed if Joseph Muscat reminds Mary Spiteri of Mintoff. Does Mary Spiteri remember what we went through during those so called” zminijiet glorjuzi”?
“We are good but not gullible.”
Who does he think he is talking to?
To Gaddafi.
To get help first you have to deserve help – you cannot sit on a fence and expect help.
U mela Mintoff ma kienx ihalli lil mara ddeffes imnehirha kif taghmel Mrs Muscat. F’din il-haga zgur ma jixbhux lil Mintoff. Ezatt laqtitha Mary.
The real “trick of destiny” is that, thirty odd years on, we’re saddled with another megalomaniac little ass, complete with hangers-on and sycophants.
So true, and we are going to be lumped with him and his lot for a few years. Let us hope that our current incumbents have the time to clean up their act .
“The last time I heard her sing, it was in the 2003 general election campaign and she was on the stage at a giant Labour mass meeting, dedicating the title song from the film Titanic to Nationalist Party leader Eddie Fenech Adami who, she said to much laughter from her audience, was about to sink like that famous vessel.”
This time, she should have sung “Little Child and dedicated it to Joseph.
Naq’a nostalgija:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U99Uv9s3PTI
Imma din isbah. From 03:05
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA6OWCZJurk
“Ghallimni nahrab l-ghazz u nhobb il-hidma.” Mela. Frott il-bzulija.
Watch in rapture, and let Mintoff burn a searing hole into your Maltese heart.
How sweet, Joseph reminds Mary of Mintoff.
Michelle should watch out or next he’ll remind her of John.
Simply pathetic! Beware, because some people are trying very hard to re-write the political history of this country.
They will not succeed in confusing me, but our youngsters are completely exposed to this propaganda.
I am beginning to be worried about our immediate future.
Mary Spiteri told Muscat that he reminds her of Mintoff. But which one? Mintoff of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s? Mintoff in 1981, or Mintoff in 1998?
@ Daphne: As always you have chosen to interpret Mary Spiteri wrongly. I was present when she gave her fantastic performance and could easily understand that what Ms. Spiteri meant was simply that Dr. Muscat is going to be a great leader like Mintoff in the old days. Although Mintoff may have done his mistakes, like EVERY OTHER PRIME MINISTER in our history, whether you like it or not he was a great great leader. Trying to use these words in order to instigate hatred, for which you are a great professional is nothing but shameful. To finish, I would ilke to ask you one question, “if Mintoff had Gaddafi and Joseph has Ms. Spiteri, who do you have?”.. I would strongly suggest that you think about this deeply as very shortly you will realise that you are only an island in the middle of The Philippines.
@ Troy: From what you wrote, you seem like a man with a lot of sense of humour however I find you to be very dissrespectul to such a great Lady. Mentioning a person who has left us to meet the angels in heaven is another shameful act. Michelle should not be worried at all as Ms. Spiteri is nothing but a woman of substance. May God be with you at time of judgement.
I find it simply sad, pathetic and shameful that we want to create a story out of a simple statement. I would be really worried if I lived in a country where the comment Ms. Spiteri said was not understood.
It is so obvious that all she meant was that Dom Mintoff was a great leader in the past and that Joseph Muscat with all his energy and will power reminds her of him! Independently of what my and our political orientation is for heaven’s sake we cannot create a whole story out of this statement…Considering that there are people working 15 hrs a day to earn a living, wasting time judging a simple, easily understandable comment is simply ridiculous in 2011! And even worse mentioning someone’s personal life. Simply pathetic.