The work carried out by Manwel Dimech is still relevant in today’s world, Malta Labour Party leader Alfred Sant said on Tuesday evening during an activity dedicated to the Maltese patriot in front of his monument in Castille Square.

Dr Sant described Manwel Dimech as one of the first Europeans to believe in the importance of thought and knowledge.

While his detractors say that he was an isolated man, on the contrary, Dimech formed part of a group that worked to instil a love for learning among deprived people.

He compared Dimech’s work with the religious work carried out by Dun Gorg Preca, even though the first was excommunicated and the second is to be declared a saint.

Both of them built their endeavours on the need for better communication and on learning. For both, knowledge was the key for societies to function better, Dr Sant said.