Żejtun was in mourning yesterday at the passing away of former Labour minister Wistin Abela.

Mr Abela, 80, who had been suffering from ill-health for a number of years served for three decades in Parliament.

Born in 1933, Mr Abela was elected for the first time in the 1966 election and was re-elected in every national vote until 1992.

He went on to become a central figure for the Labour Party with deep roots in his home town Żejtun, where he was known for giving children private lessons in maths for free.

Mr Abela was also deputy leader of the party and occupied the role of deputy prime minister between 1981 and 1982 before making way for Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici.

Mr Abela served in various ministerial roles in successive Labour governments after 1971 and, as parliamentary secretary in the Office of the Prime Minister, oversaw the setting up of Air Malta in 1973.

In 1974, he was appointed minister for development and subsequently given the portfolios of telecommunications and energy.

A minister who worked tirelessly for a better Malta

But he is best remembered as finance minister between 1983 and 1987, reading out price lists on Budget day of food items such as canned tuna and tinned milk, which the government imported by bulk.

It was a time when importation was heavily restricted to protect Maltese manufacturing firms – the most common example being a ban on foreign chocolates to protect the Maltese manufacturer – and most staple food items were imported by bulk.

On a less flattering note, Mr Abela is also remembered for the notorious Żejtun canvassers he surrounded himself with and who were involved in various episodes of political violence.

In 2012, despite his ill-health, Mr Abela attended the funeral of former Labour prime minister Dom Mintoff.

In a statement, the Labour Party said Mr Abela had been a minister “who worked tirelessly for a better Malta”.

The party extended its condolences to the Abela family and thanked him for his work for the country and party.Mr Abela and his wife Catherine had three children: Marjohn, Carmelina and Licia.