George Vella’s epilogue: A political life forged in turbulence

George Vella revisits the turbulent days leading up to the premature end of the 1996 Labour administration in a new book out soon.

The President recalls how then deputy leader George Abela, the father of today’s prime minister, had flip-flopped on a decision to go for an early election in the wake of Dom Mintoff’s parliamentary antics. Back then, Vella and Abela were deputy leaders of the party led by Alfred Sant.

In a lengthy interview with academic Andrew Azzopardi, Vella gives glimpses of his long political career. The book also includes interviews with Vella’s wife, Miriam, his three children and contributions from people who know or worked with him.

The Abela story is not new. Vella had lifted the lid on the matter back in April 2008 in the midst of a leadership race that saw George Abela square-off against Joseph Muscat.

George Vella (right) was deputy leader of the Labour Party along with George Abela (left) when the party won the 1996 general election under the leadership of Alfred Sant (centre)

But in the book, Vella recounts how Abela was on the verge of swaying party delegates to disavow the executive in an impassioned speech at the general conference. Had the general conference shot down the executive’s motion to give Alfred Sant carte blanche to call an election when he deemed fit, history may have taken a different course.

Just 24 hours earlier, Abela was in the executive meeting that unanimously agreed on the motion that was to be presented in the general conference. However, on the day of reckoning he recanted and insisted he would resign if the party went for an early election. Abela’s shift in position caught the party administration by surprise.

Vella recounts: “The surprise George [Abela] gave us and I say this with respect… at one point on the eve he was with us, and I say this with the greatest sincerity because it is recorded in the minutes, agreeing on a motion by the executive authorising the prime minister to call an election when he felt it appropriate – that was it, we were giving him a free hand to decide… on the morrow at the [general conference]… at its peak George [Abela] stands up to speak and says: ‘If we are going to go down this road, I will stop here.’ Alfred Sant, who was distracted at that point, asked me ‘what did he say?’”

George Vella with his young family at their house in Żejtun. The children were sent off to live with relatives after the murder by a parcel bomb of Karin Grech during the doctors’ strike of 1979 because George, who was a strike breaker, feared he could suffer the same fate.

It was a moment of shock for the party administration. Vella adds: “We immediately realised the seriousness of the situation. I do not know whether this was a spontaneous act, or planned. If a motion like this was defeated it would have been a show of no confidence in the executive. If we had voted then, George [Abela] would have carried the day because he was eloquent and spoke in a very emotional way as he normally did.”

A decision was taken for the general conference to continue the next day but not before Vella spoke for a second time in a bid to sway delegates and get them to support the motion.

The President recalls how he clarified certain doubts and at the end of his speech received a standing ovation. Eventually, when the motion was put to the vote it was approved.

Abela went on to resign and remained away from the Labour Party until 2008 when he contested the leadership race following Sant’s resignation.

The backdrop to the political turmoil of 1998 was Dom Mintoff’s constant threat in parliament to vote against his own government as he clashed with Sant. The situation came to a head in the summer of 1998 when Mintoff voted against a parliamentary motion granting Birgu waterfront on a lease concession to a private company. Sant had insisted the motion was one of confidence in the government.

The prime minister called an early election in October 1998 that the PL went on to lose. It was the start of a 15-year stint in Opposition for the PL after only a 22-month stay in government.

Letter bombs: Exiling the children

In the book, Vella’s wife Miriam recounts how the couple feared for their children’s lives in the wake of the 1979 murder of Karin Grech by a parcel bomb sent to her father’s home.

Karin was the daughter of gynaecologist Edwin Grech, who served as a strike breaker in the midst of the doctors’ dispute with the then Labour government. Grech was targeted as a strike breaker by unknown individuals but the parcel sent to his home was opened by Karin. The murder remains unsolved to this day.

After the Karin Grech murder, the Vella couple sent their three children to live with a relative because George had also been a strike breaker. Vella is a doctor by profession.

“I had to get the children out of the house. I had my siblings, and one of them lived in Birżebbuġa. They took the three of them because we were scared because they told us there were other letter bombs. It was an ugly period…” Miriam recounts.

Vella’s son, George Jnr, also recalls that turbulent period. “Along with Karin Grech’s bomb there could have been another one coming to our house… because papa was also a strike breaker.”

President George Vella pays tribute to murdered journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in Bidnija

‘On abortion, Robert knew my position’

Vella was appointed president in 2019 and his term comes to an end on 4 April with no substitute yet appointed by parliament.

On the qualities of the new president, Vella says it is fundamental for the person to have political acumen.

He says it is important for the president to have expert advice, and be able to listen, but insists the final decision rests with the president.

“A president who has no political grounding entwined with any other profession… political grounding is necessary,” Vella says, recalling his own turbulent presidency.

Vella had to face an attempt by Opposition MPs to remove then Opposition leader Adrian Delia and oversaw the resignation of former prime minister Joseph Muscat amid political fallout after Yorgen Fenech was charged with masterminding the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Vella also had to sign on laws he had moral objections to, most notably, the introduction of pre-implantation genetic diagnosis and the abortion law amendments.

On PGT, Vella ensured the law was signed by the acting president while he was away on official business in the UK. However, on abortion, Vella says he had made it clear to the Prime Minister he will not sign on the law as originally proposed by the government.

Vella says that when he was appointed president, then prime minister Joseph Muscat had made it clear with him that abortion was not going to be an issue he would have to deal with as president. However, things changed when Robert Abela took over.

“Robert knew what my position was. I know that the original motion incorporated most of the wording from the Council of Europe’s recommendation but at least it did not continue mentioning rape and incest [as exceptions]… I had immediately said that if the term ‘health’ without qualifications was kept in the law it would be unacceptable to me,” Vella says, adding he agrees with final amendments approved by parliament that allowed for an abortion to take place only if a woman’s life is in danger.