Mintoff's prize for human rights

B Agius

Aug 23rd 2008, 04:27

This is clearly a joke - if it's not it ought to be. AND getting this award from Gaddafi makes it a double joke! At least the Maltese had the good sense and capability to sideline Mintoff after his used by date whilst acknowledging the few good things he did for Malta in his time.

v.scicluna

Aug 22nd 2008, 11:40

part 2
Clearly you don't know the truth about The balustrades incident at Zebbug. the street were the PN club is situated was closed by the police that day. the labour demonstration (there was no meeting in that street)had no permission to pass by the club but the MLP supporters decided otherwise. as they were passing by, some of them thought of having some fun and attacked the club.They jumped the police barricaded and tried to enter. at the same time some supporters started to set cars on fire. if they had not been standing beneath the club the balustrades would not have hit them. what were they doing so close to the club? Why did the police instead of stopping them from attacking the club, climb into the church belfry and shoot at the PN members who were on the roof? do you remember how the PN members were treated at the depot? if only I could send pictures with these comments!

v. sciicluna

Aug 22nd 2008, 11:23

Breaking down shops: Did the party send them to do it? were they helped by police? were there any MPs or ministers with them? I repeat in case you didn't understand. mintoff was able to kick out nato because we were independent. and birindelli wasn't wide off the mark. Did you know that mintoff gave the russians bunkering facilities at has-saptan for their navy?
As for the brazen, you contradicted yourself in the same sentence.Do countries withhold information or don't they?! I assure you that mintoff was not given any information on the type of weaponry on the brazen because as you said "I agree with you no country would disclose the type of weapons." it was a propaganda exercise before the elections of 81.
theinvestigation about the 'guy' who you say jumped from the bastion concluded that the police had nothing to do with it. even if they did, it was not a political matter.and that's what we're discussing here. The guns 'found' at PN hQ were discovered when the police were searching alone and destroying everything in the process! the PN officials were not allowed in to assist in the search does it sound suspicious? to be continued

Franco Farrugia

Aug 22nd 2008, 09:24

@ apgrech - 'Mintoff did not want to fight with anyone - others attacked him. All he cared is to push Malta and the Maltese forwards and those who deny this are being unfair and misguided.'

Wow! Judgemental, now, are we? So sure of ourselves, aren't we?

By the way, you should apply for a job with the Chinese regime - they're looking for someone to write their history books!!!!!

Here's another one:
'This is what I don't like in the Maltese mentality - since Mintoff was with the Labour, everything he did was wrong.'
Quite incorrect - you simply don't read the writing on the wall, do you??? it is because of Mintoff that Labour is seen the way it is seen!!!!! Try denying that one!

And yet another one:
' Many of us Maltese are sick when it comes to politics and to "devotion" to our saints.'
Yep, judgemental again ... those who are sick are those who don't agree with you, undoubtedly.

Give us a break!

Mario Genovese

Aug 22nd 2008, 09:07

Common George, maybe no beatings anymore, but transfers!!!!! I'm sure that writing such a comment would cost form of punishment if it was on the oher side.

denis aquilina

Aug 22nd 2008, 08:49

We were so free under mintoff that the film Raid on Entebbe was banned from being shown here in case we irritated gaddafi our new 'protecter'

Denis Catania

Aug 22nd 2008, 04:14

Mintoff is more popular than any man alive or dead in Malta. By the way 50% hate him, 50% love him. All brutal Prime ministers in the world are hated by 95% of the population. Gonzi has the same rating as Mintoff 50% hate him 50% love him. It's just Maltese politics. Also Mintoff has never been charged or convicted of a crime.

charles.j.Schembri

Aug 22nd 2008, 00:25

Part 2

I agree with you no country would disclose the type of weapons...but then you don't blame Mintoff for not allowing them to enter the harbour..lets hope you agree for our sakes. As for the Brazen...how do you know what Britain did or did not...did they tell you...................as for the minister we had a Maltese Nationalist posing, so please.....and they do it for their person gains........the lot of them....

yes like the guy that jumped recently after he escaped the police.....ha..ha...and the Gun found in your headquarters' at Ta Pieta......remember that...oh I forgot the labour put it there...ha...ha...and the pillars falling from the roof at Zabbar and Zebbug whilst a labour mass meeting was in progress remember that...ha...ha boy I could tell you a few more stories...that you have forgotten my friend

charles.j.Schembri

Aug 22nd 2008, 00:24

Part 1

v.scicluna, I like your style...quote...Why do you keep repeating "your government and your prime minister" it is Malta's government and Malta's prime minister including yours. well for a starter that is what you use to say you Nationalist, about a Labour government, so now you don't like it....good....I said in my other letter that we accepted defeat....so I don't know what you are all about. as for violence you seem to forget all your party thugs has done...remember sliema breaking down shops...you see you only remember labour's as if you are all angles falling from heaven, that is the PN supporters...so you telling me that if we did not have independence, Mintoff would not have negotiated an agreement...boy oh boy...true you don't know mintoff. He kicked NATO and birindelli...the reason is quote Admiral Gino Birindelli, persona non grata. Birindelli, an outspoken right-winger who kept his NATO headquarters on Malta, had accused Mintoff of planning to let the Russians use the island as a naval base. from the times CNN

v.scicluna

Aug 21st 2008, 19:45

Why do you keep repeating "your government and your prime minister" it is malta's government and malta's prime minister including yours. no one likes to lose but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't accept defeat and esort to violence. I repeat if the independence was a arce how did mintoff manage to enter negotiations with our oppresors?! how dd he manage to kick out Nato and birindelli? simple, it's because he had the power to do it given to him by independence.Re the ark royal. no country in the world will disclose the type of weapons its ships are carrying. When the Brazen was invited to Malta on the eve of the 1987 elections rest assured that britain did not disclose what the ship was carrying in the form of armaments, yet a maltese labour minister didn't find it at all hard to go and pose wearing a sailor's cap! re police brutality. How about people found dead under bridges after escaping from the depot. how about murder weapons found in a certain farm. how about police joining thugs to break up peaceful protests, how about police setting fire to PN clubs. the list goes on and on and on

Gerry Cowie

Aug 21st 2008, 19:40

There would appear to be a party political squabble going on here!
Clearly those who see Mintoff as a Saint are going to deny his adminstration ever put a foot wrong. Indeed even the President Emeritus, in his autobiography, gives credit to Mintoff where he deserves it, despite himself being a Nationalist.
When people to not want to hear the truth they shout each other down, and this is what I see from those who support Mintoff to the hilt.
If you suffered under Mintoff's admininstration, whether it be the church schools saga or whether you were imprisoned as a result of the BICAL scandal and deprived of several years of your life for several years for offences you never committed, I should not be surprised if you disliked the administration in charge at the time.
The facts speak for themselves. Mintoff's administration did both good and bad things. By all means praise them for the good things, but they must also be held accountable for the bad things the selectively blind and deaf wish to deny the obvious for party political reasons.
The present adminstration are just as bad when it comes to dealing with the BICAL scandal.

apgrech

Aug 21st 2008, 18:35

If Mintoff had not been elected in the 50's, Malta would still be 30 years backwards.

The mizbla burial was a huge mistake by the proud Archbishop Gonzi who was persuaded by Pellegrini that Mintoff was a communist. That's when the farce-tragedy started. Mintoff did not want to fight with anyone - others attacked him. All he cared is to push Malta and the Maltese forwards and those who deny this are being unfair and misguided.

victor caruana

Aug 21st 2008, 18:34

Mintoff haters are just that. They just repeat statements generated by the PN during the hate years they generated between 1977 and 1985 when Mintoff and Malta experienced sabotage and terror bombings behind civil service residences. I am no great admirer of Mintoff, but surely the idiots below do not know what they are writing about - the are just parotting past silly politicians.

laurence schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 18:13

George, is your state pension an negative achievement?

E Cachia

Aug 21st 2008, 18:11

You know what gives me fits? Remembering that :n the 1960s:
Known Labourites were buried at the Mizbla.
One couldn't read socialist newspapers in the hospital run by the state.
Just becuase you were labour you had to get married in the sacristy.
Before this man became prime minister in the 1970s homosexuality was considered a criminal offence.

Mintoff was not a saint but he was not as bad as Mr Attard described him in his letter. One thing is certain, the social measures introduced by his governments were of great benefit to the working and middle class. And for that alone, he deserves respect.

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 17:23

Part2

Then you said. quote
why did mintoff do everything in his power to eliminate the independence from our memory? it was known as indipendenza farsa. .....well it was indipendenza farsa.....here again Castille was still in British hands, where your prime minster has office today ( thanks to Mintoff)...marsa sport ground......remember golden bay and so on and so on........ we could never set foot in those places.....then you said...quote....If it had not been for independence we would not have had the republic and the agreement on the lease of Malta to the British for a further 5 years. How wrong you are my friend, you know that we were independent and everybody would ask the British to enter ports, everything was in there hands under there control....not your PN government of the time, as you were nobody. Mintoff was right, it was indipendenza farsa.....and he got more money then anyone else....ask Lord Carrington... No, under mintoff it was never a dull moment....very true unlike under the PN government we have today...I wish I could say the same for your government

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 17:22

Part 1

v.scicluna...yes you are right it was regatta and I do apologize for such mistake. Yes I remember and I am against such things. I was not there and don't know how it all started, what I know for sure that the brigadier did pass a few comments against the labour party, if memory serves me right, but still against this kind of things. As to defeat, I think no one loves to lose that included, you and your party....

Yes I remember also when they blocked the harbor, but please remember that they did not want to disclose if they had an nuclear bombs on broad...hope you remember that...as Mintoff wrote to the British commission but they would not tell him.....would you have let them come in with such bombs...if an accident had to happen the whole of Malta would be wiped out........would your government have left them to enter the port.


well since Police brutally is different now, according to you.....why don't you please name me a few case that you know of, people getting arrested in the middle of the night, so on.

apgrech

Aug 21st 2008, 17:11

Mintoff cared only for Malta and he played games with Britain and did everything to get as much money as he could. He wasn't interested in posing for photos and cutting ribbons like GBO - all he cared for is to elevate the Maltese to a human level.

We had poverty, barefooted kids and women then, beggars, starving old people, but Mintoff changed all that and introduced pension so those who worked hard in their life retire with dignity.

He's no angel but I would not substitute Mintoff with anyone in the 50's and 60's.

This is what I don't like in the Maltese mentality - since Mintoff was with the Labour, everything he did was wrong. Many of us Maltese are sick when it comes to politics and to "devotion" to our saints.

John Saliba

Aug 21st 2008, 16:59

So Mintoff liberated us from slavery. Is that what AP Grech thinks? Let me give you a lesson in hisorty, Mr. Grech. It was the Nationalist Government of Dr. Gorg Borg Olivier that attained our independence from Britain. Hence, he goes down in history as the father of our nation. He signed a co-operation agreement with Britain in 1964 whereby the Britain will retain a military base in Malta for 10 years, subject to them defending our independence if need be. That agrement would have come to an end in 1974 and the British defence force would have left the island then (we would have celebrated Labour's Jum il-Helsien earler). Mintoff chose to extend their stay by giving them the opportunity to claim that they had the right to be here as they were paying rent. Can you believe it, the one who championed neutrality was prepared to give part of our country as a foreign military base? Remember, Mr. Grech as per Dr. Borg Olivier's agreement they were here as our guests- not by right. Mintoff finally managed to prostitute our country to Britain. Then he comes along years after the British should have left, to claim Jum il-Helsien.

apgrech

Aug 21st 2008, 16:55

GBO had been asleep for a long time. He wasn't even able to spend the £4 million budget he had from Britain. Then Mintoff won the race and changed Malta completely. Mintoff wanted integration but when that failed he started the fight for independence. GBO won again and continued the fight for independence which was and independence depending on Britain since we had a British Governor and were still under the Queen.

The real independence came when Mintoff succeeded to make Malta Republic - all in our hands with not ties with Britain.

Yes, Mintoff tried and succeeded in getting more money from Britain something that his predecessor never even thought of.

d.attard

Aug 21st 2008, 16:40

@ R Carabott

When selecting a quote as a basis for boring predictable rhetoric, you may want to perhaps quote within context.

The context of my quote you chose is as follows:

Mintoff remains Malta's only personality to be known world-wide and who gave us singular belief in our own capabilities.

I have discussed Mintoff with professionals from countries ranging from London to Cape Town, and none consider him in the light you throw on him.

v.scicluna

Aug 21st 2008, 16:38

The hopeless Prime minister brought us independence without which mintoff could not have negotiated the defence agreement with the brits. According to the hopeless prime minister we were to get rid of the brits in 1974 but mintoff kept them here five more years. you may argue that he did so to get more money but that's not the point. When their lease expired, the brits left and mintoff invented freedom day in the hope that it would supplant independence day. freedom from what may I ask? it was simply a case of a resident leaving the house he had rented for five years that's all. If the brits had been occupiers would they have paid for their stay?! would mintoff have had the power to negotiate a new agreement? all this thanks to a hopeless prime minister!

A.Dalli

Aug 21st 2008, 16:36

@ apgrech..
Depends what you mean, Mr. Grech. If you are refering to Jum il-Helsien, if you swallowed what Mintoff told you at the time...well yes.
But surely you must probably know that the real scenario was...Mintoff wanted the Brits to cough up more money for their military base here. When the Brits put their middle finger out and said it's not worth it, then Mintoff told them that he will not renew.
Had they accepted the new rent figure, there would not have been a jum il-helsien. So mintoff did not liberate you from anything my lad, he just gambled for some more dosh and it blew in his hands.
What Mintoff really wanted, was for you to become was a Bristish citizen, by lobbying for integration.

apgrech

Aug 21st 2008, 16:00

Human rights but not as Ghaddafi sees it. Mintoff liberated us from slavery under the Brits.

There are points against Mintoff but he was the one who put Malta on her road to freedom. Good old George Borg Olivier was a very good man but a hopeless prime minister.

Martin Galea De Giovanni

Aug 21st 2008, 15:45

Mr. Mintoff has many different qualities and talents ..some good and some bad... but a champion of human rights he never was.

But then again, the award giver has a very interesting (and sad) interpretation of what human rights are all about.

v.scicluna

Aug 21st 2008, 15:38

Re. tear gas in cospicua. Forgot the brigadier going for a dip in the morning? and it was not a labour meeting it was the regatta. I was there and I saw the mob throwing everything that came into their hands at the police. they even destroyed a fair ground which was operating near st.theresa church. this was the first year that labour was in opposition and they could not swallow the defeat. it was also during this time that labour blocked the harbour to prevent the ark royal from entering. no AST wearing a sailor's cap and saluting then! today's police brutality has got nothing to do with politics. do you get arrested in the middle of the night and beaten up or worse at the depot? why did mintoff do everything in his power to eliminate the independence from our memory? it was known as indipendenza farsa. If it had not been for independence we would not have had the republic and the agreement on the lease of malta to the british for a further 5 years. No, under mintoff it was never a dull moment.

apgrech

Aug 21st 2008, 15:14

Mintoff had been a mixture of blessings and curses. IN 1955 we needed him and he got the wheel turning and made us feel important and not just "subjects". I just wish he spent two terms and resigned because he is/was not open minded and was not prepared to move with the times.

Re abuses - a lot took place under Mintoff and a lot took place under the PN. I would trust Mintoff much more than I would trust the PN governments and its leaders and George Attard, you would not be able to publish such a letter under the PN administration neither especially if you worked with the government. You'd be transferred to an empty office with nothing to do and far away from where you live.

Political civility was introduced by Alfred Sant and no one else. For that alone he should be admired.

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 14:02

v. scicluna agree with you gentleman, we kept on losing one after the other....but to say that you wake up every morning and wonder what was going to happen in the street that day...boy you were in space...we don't have police brutally today...hello....you don't read your loving times.......oh yes mnarja...just because EFA tells everyone to stop work and go to the beach it's ok...what if you had factory or a employer...what would you have said then.....then the tear gas...forgot cospicua during a labour mass meeting, but then again in was in your time, that is under a PN government there is nothing wrong as long as it's against the Labour party. and your people ransack Joe Debone Grech and very recently last election they went into Dr.Farrugia house...but you don't mention those. of course these are Nationalist Thugs. the good guys.....now pull my other leg...Mr.Scicluna

R Carabott

Aug 21st 2008, 13:56

@ d.attard; Qoute: "Mintoff remains Malta's only personality to be known world-wide "
Just like Castro is for Cuba, Chavez is for Venezuela, Ceauşescu for Romania; Idi Amin for Uganda; Marcos for the Philippines; Kim Il-Sung for North Korea ... etc..... I guess every nation must have a kind of leader one time or another in history, sometimes they even honour and bestow merits to each other as well.

v. scicluna

Aug 21st 2008, 12:32

As John Saliba said, labour keep losing elections because of the mintoff legacy. People who experienced injustices and much more during the 70s and 80s do not need to be brainwashed.They have their personal experience to fall on. The tension was palpable in those years. We used to wake up evry morning and wonder what was going to happen in the streets that day. Any form of dissent was met with brutal force by the police aided by the imqarbin of the MLP under the excuse that the protesters were trying to put spanners in the works of the government. They were branded as enemies of the people, enemies of the working class, traitors (ironic this last one!) who can forget the mnarja incidents and the tear gassing of the people on the independence arena for no apparent reason? Any one celebrating independence day was in for a beating. Remember the infamous foreign interference act? remember the gutting of the times building because a labourite tried to enter the PM's office at Castille and the ransacking of EFA's house? anyway, the award is named after gaddafi. need one say more?

John Saliba

Aug 21st 2008, 11:56

Actually, Mr. C.J. Schembri I haven't been in Malta, I had to leave to give my three children the opportunity to continue their studies as Labour was trying to deprive them of that right because they attended a private school. Don't worry, my friend, I know exactly what's happening in our beloved country. So much so that I challenged two Labour activvists (Norman Hamilton and Valarie Borg) to wager a bet (I called it a blue chip investment for me) as to who will win the elections and that A. Sant will not be MLP leader by April.
There are two reasons why Labour keep on ending up on the opposition benches. The first is that they have never managed to appoint a competent leader. That's why I am prepared to take a bet with you for 2013. The second is Mintoff's legacy. It scares the hell out of the majority of voters. By the way, Mr. Schembri, what's the weather like on the moon?

Joseph Micallef

Aug 21st 2008, 11:24

Come on Mr. Attard it was not as bad as you make it to have been during the Mintoff reign - but hey quite close!

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 11:17

part 3
And now we came to the great finally...your quote.....
Mintoff's greatest achievement was the democracy he practiced, not to mention the political transfers, abuse of power, corruption and violence which existed at the time. No wonder the editorial states that "Labour still seems to find it difficult to wriggle out of its old shell". Labour's past will keep on haunting it and the majority of the electorate will keep on supporting the government............. I can tell you and the editorial of this papers that it was him that gave us all the freedom, you forgot to mention the postings I think your EFA so call them...(not political transfers)...abuse of power...JPO.....corruption...where you in Malta this last 25 years???????????...violence...why don't you look around you.......if you want I can keep telling stories, ........

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 11:17

part2
As for the brand, I love to have a choice from toothpaste, chocolates, milk, TV, corned beef and many more products, but what you are forgetting is the price, it was stable unlike today where the prices change almost everyday, and I mean going up. But mostly he did that to safe graud their jobs. The Cost Index is almost 6, today, I hope that one of our Union which was asking for LM8 increase back then, will do the same today, cause there was an increase in the COL, then and not as much as today,....so today we should get what????????? That was the reason behind all that.

Charles.j.Schembri

Aug 21st 2008, 11:16

part1
John Saliba ...yes very true it was Mr.Mintoff who introduced the four day week in order to try and stop unemployment, so well said by yourself, and It was Mintoff and his government that ensured that some 20% of Malta's workforce were forced to join military corps of Bahhar u Sewwi, Dirghajn il-Maltin,..... but like today the world had problems, remember oil was going up, ok not as much as today....but again it was relevant, did I blame your PN even though we today, have the hedging which is suppose to guarantee the prices..... we are now paying 95% surcharge.

Look at today all our textile industry is almost all dead...did I blame your PN, thought I am sure they did nothing to help the industry. Then you go on and tell us about the unemployed do you know the figures for today,(5086 in April of 2007) no counting the university and school leavers, .....or is it then that interest you only.

d.attard

Aug 21st 2008, 11:11

I congratulate Mr. Mintoff on his achievements that have been rightly recognised.

Mintoff breathed belief in our country. Economic growth was impressive in both the manufacturing and service sectors as he was able to rally the top Maltese minds, such as those of the Mizzis, to the cause.

The quality of life of the average person rose significantly as the number of home-owners became one of the highest in Europe. Travel became more accessible and the low-income group achieved a level of self-respect that became a springboard for their children to go onto much better things. This achievement, on its own, renders his recognition totally merited.

He had to face destructive opposition as he tread on too many meaty toes as his methods were not always of the subtle kind yet his dynamism was indeed the motor that gave Malta its heart.

He should have made way at the end of the second legislature.Subsequent events caused too much pain that we could have done without.

Having said that, Mintoff remains Malta's only personality to be known world-wide and who gave us singular belief in our own capabilities.