Opposition leader Joseph Muscat yesterday made his own the description of Dom Mintoff given by the Constitutional Court in 1996, which said that, without doubt, “Mr Mintoff dominated public life and influenced the destiny of the Maltese in that many recognised him as a saviour while his adversaries considered him the opposite”.
Paying homage to Mr Mintoff during the commemoration in the House of Representatives, Dr Muscat said Mr Mintoff was instrumental in giving life to modern Malta and to the Labour Party. He agreed with President Emeritus Edward Fenech Adami that history would judge Mr Mintoff positively.
Dr Muscat said that he wanted to acknowledge Mr Mintoff’s work as a legislator for he was responsible for enacting more than 500 pieces of legislation during the four terms of office that he served as Prime Minister.
Mr Mintoff, he said, embarked on an ambitious legislative programme between 1955 and 1958, with an economic plan prepared by experts Lord Balogh and Douglas Seers that visualised Malta as a modern state. He also took expert advice through a document prepared by a Mr Patterson and this served as the basis for the creation of the welfare state. Another expert report by a Mr Atkinson provided the foundation for the building of Malta’s infrastructure.
Dr Muscat said an extensive programme of school building followed. Next came an unprecedented programme of employment and social security measures that included unemployment and sickness benefits.
Mr Mintoff took the initiative to build the Marsa industrial estate and laid the foundations of the tourism industry. He also legislated on the physical infrastructure and laid the foundation for the exploration of oil.
In the social area during the 1950s, Mr Mintoff introduced the probation system.
Dr Muscat recalled that after the dark period for democracy in the 1960s, Mr Mintoff was returned to government in 1971.
Some of his benchmarks included the liberal and progressive stances in his legislative programme. He was courageous in decriminalising homosexuality and introducing civil marriage which, he said, severed the umbilical cord between Church and State. This was crucial for modernising the island.
Other legislative measures included female emancipation, with married women being given the right to enter into contractual agreements without needing their husband’s consent, the introduction of children’s allowance and maternity leave.
Mr Mintoff was also instrumental in creating the Republic of Malta, which Dr Muscat described as the most glorious chapter in Malta’s history with the near unanimity of the Maltese Parliament.
Eighteen-year-olds were given the right to vote while compulsory education was extended to 16 years of age. He created national enterprises such as Air Malta, Sea Malta, Telemalta and Enemalta as well as legislating on cooperatives. He was also responsible for setting up the Court for Minors.
Dr Muscat acknowledged that there were other reforms and laws that led to his downfall during the time.
At the beginning of his speech he expressed the Opposition’s appreciation for the dignified manner in which the Government handled Mr Mintoff’s death and funeral.
He said the country was united in its farewell to the person who dominated the House of Representatives for more than 50 years.
Speaker Michael Frendo added that the history of Malta and Dom Mintoff were intertwined. History would judge this complex political personality.
Dr Frendo had spoken about Mr Mintoff with one of his foremost adversaries, Lord Carrington, who had said that in politics one thing was unpardonable – that of being boring.
And Mr Mintoff was certainly no such person.
Dr Frendo also expressed his condolences to the Mintoff family and thanked them for attending the sitting.