When Dom Mintoff passed away we were immediately consoled by Joseph Muscat as we had all become orphans. Excuse me but I have only one father and, thank God, he is still alive and kicking. So, unless I am going to inherit a juicy sum of money, I refuse to be considered Mintoff’s child!

Out of respect to the bereaved family, I will offer my condolences for their loss.

But I am no hypocrite and although Mintoff strongly felt that Malta (and some privileged Maltese) come first and foremost, this end does not justify the means he used. And that, regrettably, sums up Mintoff’s modus operandi.

Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, Mintoff’s chosen one, argued: “Admittedly, his methods were rough because he felt that the circumstances of the time so merited in order to push reform through” (timesofmalta.com, August 21).

Condoning violence, trampling on fundamental human rights, suspending the Constitutional Court, using roughshod tactics, advocating discrimination and nepotism are never acceptable whatever the time, whatever the intention.

A “Leo Brincat” (was it the Labour MP?) wrote: “It is a sign of political maturity that even Mintoff’s strongest political adversaries spoke of him positively regardless of his methods” (timesofmalta.com, August 22).

Mintoff’s methods were blatantly undemocratic and minimising that fact is an insult to all the victims who suffered first hand. A father who truly loves his children does not abuse them.

Mifsud Bonnici alleged that Mintoff lifted us economically and culturally and showed us how to stand on our own feet and govern ourselves.

Excuse me again. We learnt how to stand on our own feet thanks to the Nationalist Party that gained Independence for Malta much to Mintoff’s dismay who had fought tooth and nail for integration with Britain and then vehemently against independence.

To boost our economy, Mintoff resorted to begging, harassing and threatening every friendly country.

To minimise record unemployment, instead of creating a healthy environment to generate jobs, he bred a hybrid of labour corps!

Education was down in the dumps. Church schools and the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology were shut down and the University doors were open to the hand-picked few.

The only existing private hospital was closed down and the British nuns running it were ousted from the country.

That is the identity we had ‘in the eyes of foreigners’!

So I didn’t know whether to cry or laugh when Mifsud Bonnici claims that Mintoff gave us an identity that we previously did not have in the eyes of foreigners. Yes, before him we had an impeccable reputation of hospitality and then Mintoff shattered it!

Mifsud Bonnici explained that: “He drew hatred on himself but carried on for the common good and the national interest.”

Mintoff drew ‘hatred’ on himself because our human rights were trampled on. Under Mintoff we had no identity. We had no freedom. We were terrorised, we were discriminated against, we were the lesser beings. State control, monopolies and violence were the order of the day and the Police Corps’ integrity reached its lowest ebb ever.

Under Mintoff we could not read any newspaper we wanted lest we be victimised. We had no freedom of speech, no freedom of movement. If we wanted an ‘obsolete’ landline, a coloured television set, a permit, a licence of any sort etc. we had to be a minister’s darling.

We could not even eat foreign chocolate, pasta or wash our teeth with real toothpaste as importation was taboo.

Incredible but true!

Bulk buying and quotas, muzzles and batons reigned over progressive policies of a free market, liberalisation and pluralism. It was only in 1987 that the PN set us free. We started being treated as equals.

Our fundamental rights were restored and the Police Corps went back to fulfilling its duty, as in protecting all citizens! Church and private schools, private hospitals and clinics started to mushroom.

Mcast was reopened, University doors were open wide and theology courses started again.

If in 1964 we celebrated Malta’s Independence, in 1987 we celebrated our personal independence. We could move and speak freely. We regained peace of mind. The Constitutional Court was reconstituted and the Office of the Ombudsman was set up. Discrimination was a thing of the past and the never-ending illegal arrests and police interrogations every minute of every day stopped.

The bombings stopped. The violence stopped. The strikes stopped. Industrial peace reigned and investment, foreign and local, started to flourish.

Guillotining bulk buying, quotas and monopolies, the PN immediately started decentralising. Pluralism, liberalism, privatisation and local councils appeared on the scene. Our archaic telecommunications system was overhauled and our abandoned infrastructure upgraded. Our international airport, reverse osmosis plants and the power station were built.

Yana Mintoff, Dom’s daughter said that ‘his spirit lived on through his beliefs in equal rights, justice, equal opportunities and good working conditions’. (The Times, August 21) Equal rights, justice, equal opportunities and good working conditions my foot!

Our rights were anything but equal, justice was denied and, when it was needed most, recourse to the Constitutional Court was not an option.

And if working in a labour corps under military discipline and/or getting 14 job transfers in 16 years is considered ‘good working conditions’ Yana Mintoff had better think again.

Many awful things happened under Mintoff and, although he is now dead and buried, what he did is not and never will be. Many will never forget or forgive. I simply say that your beliefs do not make you a better person, your behaviour does and, in my book, Mintoff behaved very, very badly.