Homage as Due on 31st March

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Reading Edgar Mizzi`s (God bless his soul) Malta in the Making re-awakens in me the need to pay due homage to the architect of Malta`s statehood ` DOM MINTOFF. Mintoff was not only the mind and soul behind dismantling of the military base but he was the main factor which brought about Malta`s independence.

That the actual document was signed by the late Giorgio Borg Olivier is just incidental to the fact that the British Government knew that an independence agreement with a Borg Olivier government would be much more to their favour than if they were negotiating with Mintoff.` In fact on independence Mintoff differed from Borg Olivier on one basic stance. Mintoff wanted independence as a stand-alone and then negotiate a defense agreement with Britain as an agreement between two sovereign states.` Borg Olivier succumbed to British demands to accept Independence in one package with the defense and financial agreement.

For the events which happened post 1979 Mintoff and I stand poles apart. For accepting to stay in Government after the perverse electoral result of 1981 Mintoff kicked in the face a unique opportunity to become a master statesman of this land, a man with democratic credentials bigger than his legend.

For bringing down in 1998 a Labour Government democratically elected with handsome majority on the pretext that he had his own electoral manifesto brings me conviction of the inability of the man to adjust to the metamorphosis change he himself brought about.

But for what he did to this country up to 31st March 1979 Mintoff deserves recognition as the best leader and change driver Malta has ever seen. Wiser man would have considered this event as the pinnacle of a glorious career and exit while on top. Human nature weaknesses compel mortals to stay in power longer than their true use by date.

Unfortunately the same experience is rubbing on Prime Minister Fenech Adami. He was the right man to modernise our infrastructure and build our feel good factor from the extreme purse-tightening of the Mintoff era. He has now gone too far creating economic imbalances for which has only old solutions which are totally inappropriate. No wonder also his friends at FOI are admitting the economy is still cruising at the bottom.

If we continue like this we would need a new Mintoff soon and Joe Grima thinks that Alfred Sant is a split image!

Alfred Mifsud