Letters: 25th May 2014

Clean up Cospicua

I would like to make a complaint about the ever-growing littering that is happening around Cospicua. It seems like the Local Council are either not aware or are simply not doing anything about it. I have noticed that the streets are no longer cleaned on a daily basis and the amount of papers, rubbish and dog faeces are increasing at an alarming rate.
It is a shame that I seem to be paying my taxes for nothing and it is also embarrassing that as a inhabitant of such a beautiful town, I have to always look down to watch where I’m stepping rather than looking up and taking in the beautiful architecture and history that Cospicua exudes.
I wish the Cospicua Local Council would take more pride in their town.

Rosemary Borg, Cospicua

A reply to a Mintoffian

I read your open letter to our prime minister. You did this because Muscat has appealed to “ the soldiers of steel” to once again help their own party by going to vote PL on 24 May and to convince others to do the same.
It seems that you associate “soldiers of steel” with those who defied the Church authorities in the 60s and voted Labour. I, on the other hand, consider “soldiers of steel” all those who believed and still believe that the PL in government is far better, both for our country and our people, than any PN government can ever be.
You are just judging Mintoff from what he did for our country and the Maltese people. I also judge Mintoff on what he did to our party, which is very different to what he did for our people. It is a fact that the PN had always benefitted from Dom Mintoff’s way of doing things. When Mintoff had challenged Boffa for the leadership and the party ended divided into two parties the PN benefitted. From just seven members of parliament in 1947, the PN won 13 seats in 1950, if I remember correctly. And Labour ended in opposition up to 1955.
Yet again in 1959, when Mintoff resigned in protest against the British government’s intention to start sacking thousands of workers from the Dockyard – something with which the majority of the people had agreed with. But then, at the same time, gave the PN and the Church - the traditional ally of the PN – a perfect excuse to start a ‘Holy war’ against our party, when Mintoff spoke openly about the famous ‘sitt punti’.
Mintoff seemed to have learnt his lesson because he came to terms with the Church in 1969. Nothing was said about the `six points`. And when Labour won the election in 1971, the six points were then introduced. But it did not take long for Dom Mintoff to again help the PN get to power, when he started the Church Schools saga. But left this red-hot potato on Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici’s lap because he resigned from prime minister and leader of the party. This was the main issue which caused our party`s defeat by just 5,000 votes in 1987.
But Dom Mintoff`s worst action and which once again offered electoral victory to the PN on a silver plate, was his willful decision to bring Dr. Sant`s labour government down in 1998, just 22 months after having won the election in 1996. This fact not only stopped Labour from governing for at least a full legislature, but also gave the PN a clear road to get Malta into the European Union! And yet, you say that Mintoff was against Malta joining the European Union. If he truly was, he should have known what his vote against the Labour government in parliament would result in!
That defeat in 1998 made it plain sailing for the PN to return to government and stay there until March 2013. I must add that the PL failed to win in 2008 by just 1,500 votes, was due to the fact that a few thousands of “ Mintoffians “ like you preferred not to vote, or indeed voted for the PN just to spite Dr. Alfred Sant from being once again prime minister. I knew a few of these ‘Mintoffians’ personally!
I have given you the other side of Dom Mintoff, which you may have never thought about. Thank God, in Joseph Muscat our party has found just the right leader to take on our political adversaries. Muscat has not only given the PN a historical defeat but has attracted many thousands of people even from sectors that were traditionally PN-leaning.
Muscat’s first year as prime minister has already shown that the great majority of Maltese and Gozitan voters had made a very wise choice on March 9, 2013. This is why I, contrary to you, appeal to all Labourite “soldiers of steel” to once again rally behind their leader and party on May 24, to give a strong message to those who have victimised them in the past and still want to ridicule them today.

Eddy Privitera, Mosta

Part of the inner circle

The Hon Dr Beppe Fenech Adami graciously included me – photo and all – in the list of 200 people within the Labour Party’s inner circle. He listed me as a ‘Board Member for the Aged’.
Since I really am aged – please see the accompanying photo, which does not really reflect my age – I do thank Dr Fenech Adami graciously and profoundly.
Certain people brought this to my attention, advising me (poorly, I thought) that I should take Dr Fenech Adami to court over this.
To those who suggested this malicious course of action, I replied, “definitely not”.
However, I would heartily give my consent to Dr Fenech Adami to commence court proceedings against Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, for not passing on the – doubtlessly sizeable – financial remunerations owed to me for the preferential board position supposedly bestowed upon me by the Labour Party.

Lino DeBono, Xewkija, Gozo