Mario Felice: the eloquent Nationalist

The death of Mario Felice this week leaves former tourism Minister Michael Refalo the sole survivor among the three ‘upstart’ MPs elected for the first time from the 7^th district (which at the time  included Sliema, Gzira and St Julian’s) in 1971.

The other newcomer from the district was George Bonello De Pius. who passed away last February. 

Refalo remembers Mario Felice as a man of “superb intelligence”, especially on financial and economic matters, and for being extremely well read.

“He was also very witty and could be very pungent and hard hitting.”

EU commissioner and former Finance Minister John Dalli came into contact with Mario Felice as a young activist in the Nationalist Party in the early 1970s. 

“He was then the spokesman on Finance and Economy and did not keep back from taking every opportunity to talk about his views on the local and international politico-economic developments, and on his vision on how our National Policy should be developed”.

Refalo describes him as a star in television debates. “He used to do us proud,” he recalled.

Josie Muscat – another young firebrand Nationalist MP – elected in 1971 also remembers Felice as being “bright, intelligent and immensely eloquent.”

“He was serious, honest, and always spoke his mind…he always contributed when needed, he never said no,” adds Victor Ragonesi, a former PN general secretary and close aide of former Prime Minister George Borg Olivier. 

At the district level Felice did not conduct any house visits. But according to Refalo his performance in televised debates was enough to get him elected from two districts in 1976.

He also saw his vote tally in the Sliema/St Julian’s district (which had become the tenth district) increase from 1,373 in 1971, to 2,861 in 1976.

Felice also inherited the political mantle of his father Giovanni –MP for Sliema from 1953 to 1971 and a former Minister for Tourism and later Minister for Finance. 

Political downfall

Despite his pro-Western views which saw him pitted against Mintoff’s vision of non-alignment during the Cold War, Mario Felice was able to bridge the partisan divide and to emerge as an interlocutor with Prime Minister Dom Mintoff. 

Josie Muscat recalls how Mario Felice piloted the bill to set up Air Maltawith Duminku Mintoff.

Certainly a chemistry existed between the two politicians and despite their profound differences a sense of pragmatism seemed to unite them.

Declassified cables, sent by the USembassy in Malta, document Felice’s strong ties with both Mintoff and the United States.

A cable sent in 1974 states that  “although Felice appears to be a good Nationalist MP, and is trusted enough with shadow finance portfolio, there is no question he has considerable admiration for Mintoff as leader and a doer”, and that “he sees Mintoff quite regularly for long discussions, and we have no reason to doubt this.”

Another cable reports Felice’s account of a  brief personal exchange he had with Mintoff as the two politicians were leaving parliament and Mintoff jokingly asked Felice if he would cross the floor and join Labour party ranks if Mintoff agreed to allow Sixth Fleet visit to Malta.

Felice replied that the Sixth Fleet issue was not the only quarrel he had with Labour government.

Both Michael Refalo and Josie Muscat attribute Felice’s political downfall to the suspicions raised within his party after he accepted to deliver a letter on Mintoff’s behalf to a representative of US President Jimmy Carter.

“The people were not happy that he had taken Mintoff’s letter without consulting the party,” Michael Refalo recalls.

“He accepted to hand a letter by Mintoff to US President – this put him in a bad light with the party,” says Josie Muscat who goes on to describe Felice as a “man with a mind of his own.”

The electorate was unforgiving with Felice. In the 1981 election he saw his vote tally decrease from 2,861 to just 648 first count votes in the tenth district. He was not elected to parliament. It was the end of Felice’s political career.

Ironically, just a few years before he was being touted as a possible successor to Borg Olivier.

According to a declassified USembassy cable sent in 1974 it was  Mintoff’s private secretary, Joe Camilleri who entertained this possibility.

“Camilleri volunteered info that Nationalists in process of replacing Borg Olivier as party leader and said Edward Fenech Adami, Guido Demarco, and Mario Felice are among the frontrunners. He said this would happen sometime soon”.

John Dalli’s recollections

As Minister of Finance John Dalli worked hand in hand with Mario Felice in developing the Financial Services Sector. 

“He was an invaluable adviser as we burned midnightoil in discussing with our collaborators and consultants the various aspects of what was to become a hallmark in our economic development”. 

Dalli recalls one particular meeting in Londonon Good Friday of 1994 when they had to conclude the final touches of the package by the deadline that we had set for ourselves.

But Dalli also values Felice’s friendship during his own years in the political wilderness after being forced to resign from Foreign Minister in 2004.

“I welcomed his friendship when I needed it most - during the years when I had to fight hard to get moral reparation to the political assassination attempt that was orchestrated against me”. 

Felice used to call him every time he visited Malta.

“It was a boon to engage his intellect and to reminisce on the Nationalist Party we knew and loved.  He was a generous listener and I cherished his advice”.

According to Dalli Maltahas lost an intelligent politician and a loving son. 

“I lost a good friend”.