Mintoff's prize money

David Sammut

Aug 31st 2008, 21:16

All I did Mr.Cowie was take up your challenge to prove the greatness of the man.The little I said, and in the few words allotted to me, was but a mere taster. The facts speak for themselves.I would ask you to do your research.There may have been one or two mistakes,always minor and ,when pitted against the much that was good ,of very little consequence.

I well know the alternative meanings of the word suffer and do not need coaching. Your not so subtle way of trying to belittle Mr.Mintoff does you no credit. If anything it insults the intelligence of the readers of this newspaper.

Gerry Cowie

Aug 31st 2008, 11:10

Perhaps Mr Sammut should not take the word "suffer" out of context as it does not necessarily imply a physical suffering!

I have indeed alluded to the fact that Mintoff did things which the nation as a whole might consider good.

In your desperate attempt to sanctify Mintoff you have selected certain events to illustrate your "case" and you choose wholeheartedly not to admit any wrong on Mintoff's part.

This is to be expected, as has indeed been commented on by countless persons in this paper.

"There are none so blind as those who will not see!"

Need I go on?

J. Scicluna

Aug 31st 2008, 00:36

@ Albert Dimech - Does "Karin Grech" count??????????

You guys are unbelievable! Mention ONE other polititian (WHATEVER nationality) that worked so hard for PEACE in the Med and in the Region. THAT is why il-Perit was awarded this prize that is SOOOOOO painful to people like yourself. You can preach all you want...until you are BLUE in the face, but you can never take away the INTERNATIONAL standing that Mintoff had and that NO OTHER will ever have. Some "polititians" returned to Malta with a terrier for their trouble, but Mintoff ALWAYS retuned with cold, hard CASH for Malta.

But I digress. Get it through your spite and hate-filled heads that he got this prize for:

The International Committee for the Al-Qathafi Award for Human Rights has awarded its Prize for 2008 to Dom Mintoff, the Libyan press is reporting. 'In their appreciation of those honourable leaders of the North who have stood by justice and right and who defended the causes of oppressed peoples, especially in Palestine and Iraq, the International Committee of Al-Qathafi Award for Peace of 2008 is awarded to the European leader and former Prime Minister of Malta,'...

Pack it up or choke on it :-)

joyce aquilina

Aug 30th 2008, 18:18

david sammut,very well said.
iwill thank mintoff all my life,thanks to him i have my own house without having to suffer to pay back a loan.for one to own his house today one has to be up to their heads in debts.
but now because of [THE FINANZZI FIS SOD ]we no longer afford to go out any more ,when my
husband,s wage is just 700 euros monthly.we are like prisoners in our own homes just waiting
for bills

David Sammut

Aug 30th 2008, 17:27

Suffer Mr Cowie? Ask the people who prided themselves on their darned and re darned trousers. Ask the children who went to school wearing only one shoe because their younger brother had to wear the other one. Ask the hungry who had nothing to eat, you were considered well off in those days to be employed by the British Armed forces because this meant you could take the swill from the food leftovers and maybe feed your family. We even had a word for it 'Guxin'. Ask the sick,who just died because they couldn't afford to pay for their healthcare. Ask the emigrants, that was the only thing Malta exported ,people. Ask the orphaned children who were packed off to Australia. Ask the homeless,there were many. Ask the many who were excommunicated simply because they held a different point of view politically. Ask the relatives who buried in unconsecrated ground.Ask the 'Talaba' all over the Island . Ask the workmen lucky enough to have a job,having to walk from Rabat to Valletta because they couldn't afford the bus fare.

I could go on, but by now you get the drift I'm sure

Gerard Cassar

Aug 30th 2008, 17:01

Mintoff just confessed to a mistake: speaking in Parliament he said: "One of my mistakes (biggest or smallest I do not remember) was to push Dr. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici to become Prime Minister". So he admits that he is human.
However like the lion becoming old, he has given rise to a cloud of vicious blood sucking mosquitoes buzzing around, all trying to make their fill with his blood.
And remember that a little petroleum poured on their fetid breeding marshes would and could have killed them all, but it never happened, they are all still going strong.

joyce aquilina

Aug 30th 2008, 15:51

so you only see what seems wrong to you in mintoff,s era, be honest and name the good aswell
the good which we all had a taste of and we are stiil enjoying some of his goods.
so leave him alone.

William Ellis-Aguis

Aug 30th 2008, 14:46

It is so sad to see a few deluded Mintoff supporters still exist and denying all the damage he caused to Malta and many of its inhabitants during those terrible years. These people probably benefited from his regime and now sit around dreaming of the good old days.

James Sultana

Aug 30th 2008, 13:57

It is not just a question of naming - IT IS A QUESTION OF PROVING WITH FACTS ANY NAMES PUT FORWARD.

It is easy to write down Gudja, Ta Qali and Wied ic-Cawsli ,no ? And maybe at the same time forgetting St. Julian`s. Yet, these cases have either been solved and a guilty part "found" or else the police never managed to conclude anything ... so either Mr. Dimech has information which he never disclosed (making him a de-facto accomplice in denying justice given that 21 years have passed since that era) or else he is a 100%-gauranteed medium !

Gerry Cowie

Aug 30th 2008, 11:34

Anybody reading all the comments that have appeared since the announcement of Mintoff's "award" from Ghadaffi will have noticed that not everybody believes that Mintoff is a living saint.

I have seen endless letters and comments pointing out many things which happened during the administration of Mintoff. Clearly his government had a very harsh and negative effect on many people, particularly those who may not have supported his policies.

Whilst I cannot comment about whether Mintoff has "blood on his hands" I would invite those persons who infer that Mintoff both was and is a saint to provide proof of his utter perfection.

I am sure that, in his twilight years, "Il Perit" would be humble enough to say that he made mistakes and upset a lot of people during his time in office. It goes with the territory.

But do not be selectively blind to went wrong just because you were fortunate enough not to suffer.

Joe Grima

Aug 30th 2008, 11:17

Here we go again. History being re-written by those with a giant political axe to grind. No matter how many centuries pass over this godforsaken country. this pople will continue to sprout super exaggerationists who disgorge their hatred by re wrting history. Laurence Schembri and Maro Attard are correct to ask Albert Dimech for chapter and verse for his ludicrous claims. I expect him to produce no less than at least one doctor's certificate issued between 1971 and 1987 which, under "cause of death" , clearly states " Due to Socilaist Government policies". If Dimech can exxagerate I can exaggerate too! Get a life

laurence schembri

Aug 30th 2008, 10:09

Is Mr. Albert Dimech infering that there is blood on Mintoff hands?
If so name them!
Besides, this is his money and he will do with it as he pleases, he does not need any Tom, Dick and Harry to tell him what to do with it.

Mario Attard

Aug 30th 2008, 09:09

You obviously are in possesion of evidence which the authorities don't have. Maybe you'd like to enlighten the powers that be,I'm sure they, and the rest of us ,would be more than interested. interested.

As for the prize money. That's just a cheap jibe. To comment further would be to cater to the mob,which I am not willing to do.