PL background; PN candidate

I have been invited by Lawrence Gonzi to contest the Pietà local councils election on behalf of the Nationalist Party and, after deep pondering, I gladly accepted.

The main reason for this is the fact that, since Eddie Fenech Adami became leader of the PN, this became an open-minded and socially-conscious political party where the interests of the emarginated are always given the utmost importance. This policy has been followed by Dr Gonzi as evidenced by the thousands of families who receive additional social assistance and benefit from lower energy tariffs. Furthermore, exponents of the PN are free to air their views, even when these differ from those of the party, without any fines being imposed on them.

I come from a family where my father was an ardent Labour supporter and who was quite active in the Labour movement. A 1924 portrait of the first Labour Party (PL) executive committee of Senglea hangs prominently in our sitting room: My father is seen with, among others, John Marks and Ċensu Bugeja, the latter later becoming the party's representative in France.

I have held various positions both within the PL and the General Workers' Union, including: GWU - shop steward and delegate; secretary, Youth Movement; assistant secretary, Metal Section; council member; secretary, Construction and Woodworks; secretary, Metal Workers and board member of the Union Press. I have also represented the GWU on numerous meetings and conferences overseas and attended courses at the Malta University and the Institute for Labour Studies in Geneva, among others.

I served as secretary of the Labour League of Youths; executive committee member of the Birkirkara section; Labour's Gozo representative and co-opted member of the national executive during the 1971 election campaign.

I also sat as member on the GWU/PL joint commission that worked on Labour's election programmes for the 1971 and 1976 elections.

It is therefore important that I give an account of what made me part from the PL/GWU.

After the 1976 general election, the PL lost control of its supporters when celebrating victory by burning down most of the PN clubs and breaking whatever came in their way. Despite Dom Mintoff's condemnation and promise that this will not happen again, there resulted a corrupt and violent regime under which the worst atrocities were committed against whoever was in the way.

Things went from bad to worse when Mr Mintoff decided to amalgamate the PL and the GWU and this led to strong objections from the late and lamented Joe Attard Kingswell, myself and others. Most of the GWU's high officials were either in favour or too afraid to oppose Mr Mintoff's suggestion. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici insisted that, in the interest of the PL/GWU, Mr Attard Kingswell should be sent on leave on full pay. A number of council members continued to rally support against this fusion and this led the PL to intimidate us by using brutal force.

On July 21, 1977, after obtaining a vote of confidence from the executive committee, a group of thugs were sent to my office but the security officer helped me escape and I went to the police station for protection.

Later, Dr Mifsud Bonnici came to take me home and he explained that he had taken my family to find refuge at the home of my brother-in-law as the thugs were heading for my home. Dr Mifsud Bonnici insisted we should remain in hiding until it would be safe to return home. This must have been the only case of a Maltese family seeking refuge in its own country for political reasons.

The GWU had insisted that I must resign from employment without considering that I had no other job with which to maintain my wife and three children.

It was not easy to cross over to the PN, in fact, although voting for the PN, I had stated in the media, including the PN radio, that before I part this world I hoped to vote Labour again.

I believe that, rather than looking ahead, the PL is moving fast to the past. Violent tactics, albeit of a psychological nature even against its own members, are still being adopted. Suffice to mention the experiences of Michael Falzon before the general election, when contesting the leadership election and recently when he was removed as the party's representative on the Electoral Commission without being informed beforehand.

One can also mention Joseph Muscat's quote of the saying that those who live by the sword die by the sword, losing his smile and style while exclaiming it.

There are other signs indicating that the PL is progressing backwards, such as the return of Alex Sceberras Trigona, renowned for the HMS Brazen case and the secret agreement with North Korea; Toni Abela's statement that Malta should emulate Mr Mintoff's example in Helsinki and use the veto at the European Union and Desmond Zammit Marmarà's hope to return to Mr Mintoff's days when he ended a recent article thus: "We need another Dom Mintoff with the Europeans and our southern neighbours. Joseph Muscat? Yes, I think so".

For the above reasons I will be contesting the local council election at Pietà as a PN candidate, hoping the PN will regain the majority.