Writing in these columns (TMID 25 February), Mr James Sultana from Bahrija has only confirmed that life under a nationalist administration is so good that our only problem worth writing about is that after 15 years of nationalist government we have had to queue for a cylinder of gas! That is our only problem!

What a far cry from the Times of the Tyrants in the not too distant past! No, we did not have to queue for a colour TV set, for a video camera or video recorder, for a cordless phone or for a mobile phone, for a computer or for any electronic game, for an automatic washing machine or for an electric cooker. ... We could not queue for any of these gadgets for the very simple reason that labour regimes refused to allow the importation of any of these gadgets.

But why wonder? Not even a bar of foreign chocolate could be imported. But very often we did queue for a kilo of apples – provided we also took a wizna of onions or turnips! We did queue for a kilo of sugar – provided we presented our ration card. Would you believe me if I tell you that trucks distributing sugar to grocers were accompanied by armed soldiers? Yes it is very strange but very true!

Sometimes I did queue for a piece of imported chocolate which was given to me wrapped in all sorts of paper and for which I had to pay 30c. I did queue sometimes for a kilo of frozen beef, which was being distributed from government primary schools.

The price of kerosene? I quote from A Chronicle of Twentieth Century Malta page 367: “The Prime Minister (Mintoff) announces the price hike on January 15th 1974. Ordinary petrol goes up from 20c4 to 50c. ... later all petrol sells for 60c. Diesel goes up from 9c4 to 22c. Bottled gas prices and electricity rates are increased on February 20th...”

But in those dark days we were interested only in survival.

Giov. DeMartino

MOSTA