No one was surprised that Dom Mintoff’s body continued to hold out despite his failing health. In the end, it seems his mind had gone – though he still showed sparks of lucidity.
He had been admitted to hospital many times over the past couple of years, and every time, it was feared that he would pass away. Each and every time, he confounded doctors with his recovery. His stamina and underlying determination in staying alive mirrored everything that he did in his personal and political life.
Dom Mintoff was one of Malta’s biggest characters. Some loved him and some despised him, and they feel the same way today. But no one can deny that the man was a giant in politics, both here and abroad.
Mr Mintoff was Malta’s longest-serving politician, elected every time between 1947 and 1998. He was still active in the run-up to EU accession, which he campaigned against as part of Front Maltin Inqumu in 2003.
He will forever be known as il-perit, a doer by nature, but with policies and antics that flabbergasted many, including his own party. He twice brought down socialist governments, in the 1940s, when he toppled Paul Boffa, and again in 1998, when he brought down Alfred Sant’s government.
He was loved by many, but many also believe that he was repressive and allowed violence to foment against political opposition. Dom Mintoff battled against several setbacks. His first government ended in resignation in 1958 after the failure of his campaign for integration with Britain. He then went off at a complete tangent, but was beaten to achieving independence by his much-respected rival Ġorġ Borg Olivier, though he trumped him further down the line by making Malta a republic in 1974 and ‘kicking’ the British out of Malta in 1979. It was an antithesis. Dom Mintoff was married to a British woman and was educated in the UK. In his years of seeking better deals from the British while Malta was a colony, he even mastered and cultured a Queen’s English accent, though it was still undeniably Maltese.
But within hours of ending discussions with Lord Carrington on the end of British military presence in Malta, Mintoff turned to pariah states. He flew off to China, North Korea, Romania and of course Libya, to forge friendships with dubious friends. But at the same time, he sought to protect Malta from sinking into communism and the influence of the Iron Curtain by maintaining Malta’s neutrality. He forged a close friendship with Muammar Gaddafi who bankrolled Malta in his 1971 tenure.
When he was returned to power in 1971, something had changed. Mintoff – although still in his own mind battling for the well-being of Maltese citizens – was straying and his ideas were not going down well. But those who still adore him to this day will remember him for a raft of reforms of social benefits – including better pensions, children’s allowance and the minimum wage.
His government did well in the early 1970s, but controlled imports, political violence and human rights abuses became the norm. Under his tenure, the Times of Malta building was torched and the house of former PN prime minister (Opposition leader at the time) Eddie Fenech Adami, was ransacked. In 1984, Mintoff handed over power to Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici.
Love him or hate him, no one can deny that Mintoff shaped Malta as we know it today. Many disagreed with his methods. But many also agree that he improved the lot of the Maltese working class, introducing rights that were unheard of and ushering in hygiene and helping to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger. We bid him farewell.
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