On Tuesday, the House of Representatives paid tribute to former Labour minister Freddie Micallef, who passed away last week.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi spoke of the good working relationship enjoyed between former Nationalist minister Lawrence Gatt and Mr Micallef. “Although they were adversaries, they enjoyed a very good rapport that was evident in their work in parliament,” he said.

They served as role models for our generation of politicians, he said, and referred to Mr Micallef’s maiden speech in parliament, delivered in 1966, of which a copy was disseminated to all MPs present in parliament.

In that speech, Mr Micallef had spoken about agriculture and tourism as being two important pillars of the new Maltese economy that was about to start developing. At the time Malta was still ruled by the British monarchy.

“Today, we know that tourism goes hand in hand with agriculture, as the natural environment lives in a symbiotic relationship with tourism,” Dr Gonzi said.

He offered his condolences to the Micallef family and thanked them for supporting Mr Micallef in his long political career.

Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat, recalled Mr Micallef as a long-serving politician who dedicated 30 years of his life to politics. “He was a kind hearted giant who dedicated his life to the people of the place where he was born and brought up, Mosta. Mr Micallef had a particular importance in this parliament. He served with absolute loyalty,” Dr Muscat said.

“His focus in his maiden speech was tourism and agriculture, but his perspective was centred on his experience of having lived in the rural community of Mosta. He personified agriculture and the values of agricultural communities such as hard work, proximity to the people, and honesty,” he continued.

Dr Muscat felt lucky to have known Mr Micallef closely and explained to other MPs that he spent a good number of hours, discussing various issues affecting Maltese life over the past years. He was moderate, always ready to acknowledge the valid points in the adversaries’ perspective and assertive in speaking about his values, he said, adding that he remained active till late in his life.

He was concerned about his family and enjoyed speaking about his ministerial duties and work under the leadership of Dom Mintoff, Dr Muscat said.

“Mr Micallef and former minister Lawrence Gatt had an important place within the Mosta community, their constituency.

Addressing the Micallef family present for the commemoration in parliament, he said, that Mr Micallef’s memory will remain enshrined in the Maltese people’s hearts.