Both myself and Eddie Privitera (who’s letter was published in TMID on Monday) used to belong to the Movement for Divorce, set up in 1982.

Both of us were delegates to the Malta Labour Party annual general conference in the following year held at the Rialto Theatre at Cospicua when the motion for divorce was moved by the Young Socialist League and the Woman’s Socialist League, when in fact Mr Privitera was one of the 17 speakers.

Many thought that the motion could easily pass until Mr Mintoff told the conference that the time was not ripe for its introduction. In no way did he say he was against it, but he still asked for the motion to be referred to the National Executive. In other words, he meant withdraw it, and as far as I know no similar motion was ever moved during the Malta Labour Party general conference.

In fact, only a year before in the annual general conference of the Young Socialist League, Mr Mintoff said that if there was a strong call for divorce it would be introduced like any other country.

Eugene Sapiano