Giovanni DeMartino, Mosta
Wounded Labour movement
Dom Mintoff, who was accused of treachery and of bringing down Alfred Sant's Labour government, was given a standing ovation by hundreds of labour supporters... Dr Sant, who had accused Mr Mintoff of the above mentioned crime, was also given a standing ovation by the same Labour supporters.
Another standing ovation was reserved for Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici who still believes that we should have never joined the EU. According to Evarist Saliba's No Honourable Minister, page 383, Dr Mifsud Bonnici governed Malta through "one of the darkest pages in the history of independent Malta". Also, according to Brian Hitch "by 1987 the MLP (led by Dr Mifsud Bonnici) had become arrogant, corrupt and violent. Abuse of power and state intervention had become commonplace" (John Manduca, The Flavour of the Mintoff Era, p. 279).
Certainly, gonzipn has dealt a crippling blow to the so-called local Labour movement. Joseph Muscat is in for a very tough job.
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James Sultana
Jun 13th 2008, 15:40
@Mr Martinelli
Nothing wrong if the delegates chose to change a leader ( delegates ? I thought it was normal practice that paid up members ideally chose the leader) - what is funny is that some days before the delegate chose a leader, a "small group" of the top names meet in a Valletta office to define a strategy on how to make a takeover. (Just to refresh your memory, all those present for that meeting have since been appointed President of Malta - all but one to be precise, but guess who is next in line !).
As for recent event, maybe not being at the heart of the action you may not have noticed anything (or at least pretend to) but the fact that it wasn`t done blatantly, it doesn`t mean that the party machine did not intervene at all when the DELEGATES (again) a few years back chose Dr. Gonzi. Try to convince John Dalli or Austin Gatt that no "behind close doors" or otherwise pressure was done before that contest (what followed was worse) so that the delegates would vote for the chosen one of the foreign-based guru from the silent city !!
eric saliba
Jun 13th 2008, 09:09
@ joe martinelli.
why should i buy the bulbs myself? or are you implying that this is going to be yet another broken electoral promise by gonzipn ??
Joe Martinelli
Jun 13th 2008, 05:25
@ James Sultana
Having a leadership review after an election is not back stabbing. The Party delegates voted for a leadership change and Dr. Fenech Adami was elected leader.
Dr. Fenech Adami decided to call it a day, a leadership contest resulted in Dr. Gonzi being elected leader. No blood letting, no fuss no mess and no party machine working behind the scenes.
With the MLP, after yet another defeat a report states that the last leader overstayed his welcome by five years and the party delegates in 2003 did not have the acumen to see that and voted him in again after he had decided to quit!
Now they elect a leader who, like KMB was dead set against joining the EU, then having failed at that had the gall to run for MEP and get elected and never opposed Sant when the latter wanted to reopen 'the EU package'! Now he tells us that he and his party are all for the EU and we are to believe him?
The PN's dream of joining the EU started just after the Independence.
@ Eric Saliba - Why wait for the government hand-out? Don't be cheap, buy some yourself.
James Sultana
Jun 12th 2008, 15:47
Messrs DeMartino and Martinelli are simply incredible !! They are able to find and point out all "strange" happenings on the opposite side of the fence, but simply fail to see what is on their side. Fine, maybe it doesn`t make sense to applaud everyone, BUT coming from two diehards whose party first found no problem at all in backstabbing Borg Olivier (the father of independence) and then to practically cancel out Dr. Fenech Adami (the father of the EU accession) by making it seem as if it was all due to Dr. GonziPN its simply stunning !! Angry because they applauded a KMB who still thinks we shouldn`t have joined the EU ?? Quoting John Manduca about that era is like asking Bin Laden about life under Bush ! And since when joining the EU IS PART OF THE ORIGINAL principles treasured by the PN ? It doesn`t seem to me that the ideals of the Right mean precisely that, and don`t take my word for it ; Even Dr.Josie Muscat (remember the FFF in the 80s?) said that the PN sold their principles for the obsession of EU membership !!!!
eric saliba
Jun 12th 2008, 15:35
@ joe martinelli
of course we'll have more lights next xmas.......gonzipn promised us 5 energy saving bulbs remember??
Joe Martinelli
Jun 12th 2008, 14:07
Now that Joseph is welcoming back all the lost sheep , there is an opportunity for some merchants to make good profits on Christmas lights, plastic flowers and candles.
I remember the days when many a living room or hallway displayed an image of Dom surrounded by coloured lights and the odd candle. Now MLP supporters could have a virtual heroes gallery at their home displaying Dom, KMB and Alfred Sant - all regarded as heroes in their time (by MLP) all decorated with lights and bouquets of plastic flowers which never wilt.
One word of caution, though. Buy the more economical though more expensive LED type of lights otherwise you will pay more surcharge on your electricity bills!
My guess is that in a few years time, MLP supporters will add another picture, more lights, candles and flowers.
laurence schembri
Jun 12th 2008, 12:47
Nothing much has changed then.
B Agius
Jun 12th 2008, 11:15
GonziPN looked a little stronger than it actually was/is because of the many issues Labour under Sant failed to deal with. The difference in votes, despite of Labour's shortcomings, was relatively small. It won't take much really to make the PN look like potential losers. Let's hope this happens not from a Party partisan point of view, but for the sake of Malta as both parties - and others in small parties- will have to be serious and deliver on their promises and/or innovative alternative policy formulation.