Mintoff says he tried to bring about 'national unity' under Labour

Mr Mintoff said yesterday that when Labour was last in government, he tried to bring the government and opposition together in a bid to bring about "national unity" in the county's interests.

Eddie Fenech Adami had agreed to the idea, but told Mr Mintoff that Dr Sant had to be in agreement too, as he was the prime minister.

But Dr Sant, according to Mr Mintoff, said he could not trust Dr Fenech Adami.

Mr Mintoff was speaking yesterday during the recording of Xarabank, at which he was the main guest accompanied by another former Labour prime minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici. The two lead Front Maltin Inqumu, which opposes the government's conduct of its negotiations with the EU.

The programme, due to be aired after the 8 o'clock news tonight, was recorded in Cospicua.

There was tension in the air at Paolino Vassallo Square, which is situated between the MLP club and the party-owned Rialto, as most of those sitting in the part reserved for Xarabank were staunch Mintoffians who also had the Labour Party at heart.

Other Labourites stood on the pavement opposite and booed each time he said something which they believed was a jab at Dr Sant.

A strong police presence was evident well before the recording was due to start. Uniformed and plain clothes police mingled with the crowd and watched from rooftops.

One or two people who tried to heckle Mr Mintoff as he arrived were immediately silenced by their friends.

Typically, Mr Mintoff tried to take over the programme, heatedly telling presenter Peppi Azzopardi not to interrupt him and "take up my time".

"The Xarabank goes where we want it to go. You are just the driver here," he told Mr Azzopardi, to the delight of the audience.

As Mr Azzopardi persisted, the audience broke into applause several times in support of Mr Mintoff, but he asked them "to clap later, not to interrupt".

Mr Mintoff said "he was still a fighter" and could not understand what was keeping both parties from agreeing with the aims of Front Maltin Inqumu.

There were several veiled and open attacks on Dr Sant, especially when Labourites from the audience asked about or even hinted at the time when Mr Mintoff brought down the Sant government.

"I was following what was going on at the time. He (Dr Sant) changed some of the budgetary measures such as the water rates because of me.

"Later he declared the vote on the Cottonera project an important vote, like that on the Budget. He did not want my advice any longer. He was following the advice of the American whom I never met, Phil Noble, who was telling him he would win an election, and he wanted to hold one," Mr Mintoff said.

When a member of the audience told him that his wish was to see Mr Mintoff and Dr Sant embrace, Mr Mintoff replied: "In another programme we will devote time to see how this could be possible".

He said he forgave everyone, even those who tried to stop him from taking part in the Xarabank programme in the locality, but he could never forgive those who repeatedly desecrated his mother's and wife's graves.

He saw red when a supporter told him people had expected too much of the two years that Labour was in power. He argued that the Labour government had performed "miracles" between 1971 and 1973, when it was fighting against the odds.

Mr Mintoff said he was telling the Labour Party to rise up as it had done nothing on the EU issue except come up with the partnership slogan. He said Dr Sant was telling people to write articles against him or was allowing them to write articles, and lamented not being invited to speak on Super One. He had been called a traitor, he recalled.

Dr Mifsud Bonnici said that when he was heading the Campaign for National Independence, he believed people should be urged to vote 'no' in the referendum, but his first battle now would be for the referendum not to be held, as Mr Mintoff had convinced him that one of the biggest problems was that no one knew what the EU would be like in a few years' time.

The programme had its lighter moments too. At one point, Mr Mintoff did not realise James Bondin was cracking one of his jokes and stood up and tried to stop him.

When he was told during the interval that Bondin was part of the programme, he said he had not realised it was a joke and had taken him seriously.

When Mr Azzopardi thanked the sponsors, Mr Mintoff thanked them too and said he hoped they would also help his front.

A sizeable crowd rushed towards the car in which Mr Azzopardi and programme manager PJ Vassallo left after the programme, but the police were quick to intervene.