A few weeks ago Alfred Sant requested a public apology from Lawrence Gonzi for being shown in a caricature in il-Mument wearing dark glasses and he, therefore, concluded that the caricature was depicting him as a "blind person".
No doubt, Dr Sant knows that the word "blind" is used also for persons who do not accept facts as they are, similar to the use of the word "deaf" which, apart from meaning a person with impaired hearing condition, also refers to a person who "hears but does not listen". As the Lord Jesus said: "You have eyes but do not see; you have ears but do not hear".
Dr Sant reminded us that for many years Dr Gonzi was the chairman of the National Commission for Persons with Disability and, therefore, he should have never allowed the caricature to appear as this did not only label him as blind but was also offensive to the visually impaired. Those less privileged than us "normal" people know what Dr Gonzi did for the handicapped both as chairman of the commission and also as a politician.
I think it was unfortunate for Dr Sant to insist on an apology for such a caricature when his party has been condemned to the opposition for so long, losing five out of six general elections, due to mistakes of much bigger magnitude committed by the MLP whether in government or in opposition.
Since 1987, the MLP has been in government for just 22 months, and the main reason for this is that Dr Sant has open eyes but does not see and hears but does not listen. Suffice to remind readers about advice given to him by, among others, Dom Mintoff, George Abela and Lino Spiteri. Yet, Dr Sant preferred to remain blind and deaf to such counsel.
I do not intend to go into detail or mention all the horrendous and atrocious mistakes committed by the MLP under different leaders and at a time when Dr Sant was a high official, president, a member of Parliament, Prime Minister and leader.
However, the institutionalised corruption and systematic violence the Maltese nation had to suffer under previous Labour governments compel me to mention a sample of such cases: the beating and abuse of suspects by the police, including a case where a beating resulted in the death of a suspect; the closing down of Church schools and hospitals; the attack on the chapel at the Archbishop's Curia, which chapel was damaged and desecrated; the ransacking of the courts and damaging/stealing from shops; the beating up of many innocent people: the late Furtu Selvatico, the family of Eddie Fenech Adami, then leader of the Nationalist Party, and many university and Polytechnic students come to mind; blatant corruption in building permits; hefty advances to party henchmen to set up businesses and the requisition of large houses to serve as party clubs.
The MLP has never apologised for all this, and much more; perhaps it considers it to be the glorious past.
Going back to what I said earlier that Dr Sant made a mistake when he demanded an apology for being called blind - which, in any case, was the result of his own mistaken interpretation - his request confirms that the Maltese nation does deserve a formal and unconditional apology from the MLP and its officials who, whether they like it or not, whether they admit it or not and whether by commission or by omission, are held responsible for the atrocious actions that took place in the above mentioned period.
Claiming that this is a New Labour and a new beginning is nothing but one of the gimmicks Dr Sant is so much renowned for.