Mintoff was manipulated by PN - Sant

The conclusions of the Labour Party's election report, which blamed the defeat on the failings of the leadership trio, the general secretary and the party president, were shot down yesterday by former party leader Alfred Sant.

In his first fully-fledged political interview since resigning from MLP leader, Dr Sant said the report did not give due importance to three important factors: the government's power of incumbency, people who came to vote from abroad and his cancer problem.

Speaking to TVM's Reno Bugeja on Dissett, Dr Sant, now a backbencher, blamed the Nationalist government for using patronage in an "obscene" way before the election to win votes.

He even linked the death of gunner Matthew Psaila during a military training exercise earlier this year to the government's pre-election employment flurry, insisting the young man did not know how to swim and yet he still joined the army's special duties company just before the election. A spokesman for Gunner Psaila's family yesterday evening insisted the remark was "totally untrue and utterly insensitive" because the young man's mother was currently in hospital recovering from a major operation.

"Matthew joined the army after the election and he was qualified to join in the rank of officer cadet. However, it was his choice to join as a private and work his way up the ranks," the family spokesman said.

Dr Sant's remark prompted the national broadcaster to run a scroll on the pre-recorded interview pointing out that the inquiry into the soldier's death established there was no obligation for soldiers to know how to swim.

During the interview, Dr Sant talked little of the current Labour leadership, limiting himself to a warning born of experience.

"Labour under Joseph Muscat is doing well but I warn him to be careful and ensure that come the next election there will be a level playing field so that the government would not repeat the same obscenities it did last year," he said.

When talking of the Mistra scandal that characterised the last week of the election campaign, the former Labour leader said he had "no personal respect" for Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando.

"I had no interest to confront him posing as a journalist. When we brought out the facts Pullicino Orlando should have convinced people with facts not theatrics," Dr Sant said of the incident when the PN backbencher had turned up with a hurriedly-issued press card for a Labour Party broadcast.

He also disagreed with the Attorney General's conclusion that there were not enough grounds for the police to prosecute Dr Pullicino Orlando, insisting this was another case where "the law is an ass".

Recalling the events that led to the Labour government's short-lived stint in power between 1996 and 1998, Dr Sant said Dom Mintoff was "manipulated" by the PN.

"On what happened in 1998 there are a number of facts that have not yet been made public and would justify what I am saying," he enigmatically said without being specific.When asked whether he had any remorse for the premature termination of his government, Dr Sant stuck to a previous "no regrets" comment, but possibly for the first time admitted he made a wrong decision before 1996. Possibly, he was referring to his decision to allow Mr Mintoff to stand as a candidate in the 1996 election.

During the interview Dr Sant reiterated his opinion that Malta's entry into the eurozone was premature and avoided answering a question on whether he would be contesting the next election.

"I have made no decision... It is still three years away and the future should not be pre-judged," he said.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com