Using history wisely

I refer to Henry's Frendo's article Whose Independence? (September 21).

I am intrigued that a person of Prof. Frendo's calibre and integrity, as a historian with so many historical publications to his name and a vast amount of diplomatic experience, should stoop so low as to even suggest or insinuate that my late father may have been the cause of Sir Ugo Mifsud's heart attack that led to his death on February 13, 1942. To make such allegations more than 67 years after the event only goes to prove that Prof. Frendo may have a purely political agenda.

We all know that nobody on earth is infallible and, with utmost respect to Sir Ugo - a very learned lawyer and respected politician for his time, he was not infallible.

As official records show, Sir Ugo may have been interrupted when making his passionate defence for the non-expulsion of Maltese citizens from a British colony at the height of World War II.

It is also on record that Sir Ugo's eloquent defence was considered as a flawed interpretation of the constitutional law of those days. He was democratically voted against by 17 members of the Council of Government against two members of the Nationalist opposition who, at the time, were representing Maltese citizens with alleged "irredentist sentiments" in connection with a "mother country".

Prof. Frendo was not even born at the time. He is not a medical practitioner and, as such, is not in a position to confirm or deny whether Sir Ugo had not been suffering from any other medical ailments that could have induced his untimely death.

As a historian, Prof. Frendo should use history wisely and quote the true and unbiased facts in whole and not only those that suit his personal agenda.

I would go so far as to suggest to Prof. Frendo and to all interested readers of The Times to consult Prof. Frendo's own publication Maltese Political Development 1798-1964. (1993 Edition - Document 70- Pages 517 to 538). This reproduced official document is a word for word extract from the debate in Parliament on February 9, 1942 when the Emergency Powers (Removal of Detained Persons) Bill was hotly debated and which gives the true statement of facts by Malta's Parliament.