Carmel Grima, St Paul's Bay
Black Monday shooting: the truth will out
Much has been written on Black Monday, glorifying one saint and demonising several sinners.
I refer to Kurt Sansone's version that an elderly man from Mosta had shot at Dom Mintoff's office; to Laurence Grech's contribution in A Tribute to Lino Spiteri (page 231): "An elderly man fired some shots at the door leading to the prime minister's office", and to Maria Camilleri's eye-opening reference on Bondiplus to Edgar Mizzi's version of events in his book, the incidents of October 15, 1979 seem to make out the victim to be a callous murderer.
As a result, the Labour Cabinet, led by the untiring Lorry Sant, became the perfect government; Opposition Leader Eddie Fenech Adami the most saintly of saints; the two defence lawyers, the best around, obtained a sentence of life imprisonment for the madman at Mount Carmel Hospital; The Times ended up with a modern interior structure and new equipment installed thanks to the insurance money; and Mr Mintoff's supporters' rampage justified by the action and their reactions because of the course of events.
The man's family, on the other hand, had to suffer in silence and accept the lies fed to the Maltese media since 1979.
But one day the truth will surface and the facts will become known that Karm Grima was no murderer but a simple and upright citizen who went to meet his Prime Minister, as was agreed weeks before with Mr Mintoff himself. He went to report, in writing, a misdemeanour by one of his senior ministers; that the PRO at Castille knew about Mr Grima's intentions days before and informed the minister involved, and that it was a premeditated attempt on Mr Grima's life by two men in the corridors of Castille to shut up anyone who complained against the regime.
Unfortunately, four shots were fired at our father, two of them near misses, and three bullets were lodged in his body; this pushed us to the very edge and we had to swallow the untrue version of events fed to the Maltese by unscrupulous politicians.
The aim was to close the chapter. We thought wisely that he who fights and runs away has at least the chance to fight another day.
However, as too many big shots are involved in this frame-up, truth has to fight an uphill battle. It will certainly emerge if the two inquiries carried out by Magistrate (now Judge) Joseph Filletti and former Judge Godwin Muscat Azzopardi are found.
Both established that Mr Grima did not shoot but was shot at three times and the bullets were still in his body when he passed away.
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Dr Francis Saliba
Dec 13th 2009, 18:26
@PSchembri
As soon as the NP was voted into power it was an MLP mob with an ex MLP minister at its head that ransacked the Law Courts. And one can not even be certain that the files had not already gone missing by then. Have you forgotten?
R. Caruana
Dec 13th 2009, 18:24
Shocking!
@ P.Schembri
Can't see the reference in the letter that the PN "lost" the three reports. To me it seems that it would be more likely that the MLP 'lost' the reports. Explain please if you know differently
Dr Francis Saliba
Dec 13th 2009, 16:43
@GeraldCassar
Are you keeping your eyes tightly shut so as not face, now confirmed by Grima's son, that his father did not fire any shot at any government employee, that Castille had been warned by a another Ministry that a disgruntled Grima was on his way wanting to speak to Mintoff and that the police were actually waiting in ambush for their victim? Having failed to kill him on the spot he was committed to Mt Carmel Hospital so as to keep his mouth shut? That was absolutely necessary to sustain the propaganda myth of a non-existent attempt on MIntoff's life to afford some lame excuse for the burning of The Times and the ransacking of the private residence of Dr Eddie Fenech Adami!
I hope that f your attitude does not reflect the present mood of the LP otherwise the electorate will have every reason to dread the return of that political party to power.
P.Schembri
Dec 13th 2009, 16:42
While I sympathise with the Grima Family, and condemn all type of violence committed during the 80's, why did the PN "lose" the three reports? If the PN knew there was an injustice committed, why did the PN government not, as it did to others, help the Grima family? Is it a case of blatant political propaganda to enhance the effect of what happened on that fateful day? If Grima was innocent (and I don't doubt it) why did the PN government as it did to others who has less misfortune?
Joseph Cauchi
Dec 13th 2009, 15:30
Mr. Carmel Grima, I sympathise with you and all the family if the version of events as described by you are correct.
If what you are saying is correct, then My God, what “criminals” governed Malta then!
JC.
Gerard Cassar
Dec 13th 2009, 15:17
Gone to talk to the Prime minister with a loaded pistol in his posession? Firing at government employees that were doing their duty.
And what about the article that referred to a housing problem in Mosta that appeared a few days befor in a non MLP paper.
Dr Francis Saliba
Dec 13th 2009, 12:30
@CarmelGrima
Your version tallies with the facts as they have always been known to me. It is one of the more notable propaganda coups of the MLP's propaganda apparatus that the truth has been suppressed for so long. Better late than never! Thank God that your father escaped with his life although incarceration in a lunatic asylum was perhaps just as sorrowful and undeserved fate!
J. Schembri
Dec 13th 2009, 11:38
I am shocked!