Remembering Dom Mintoff On The 13th Anniversary Of His Death
Dom Mintoff was one of Malta’s most influential leaders, remembered for steering the country from colonial dependence to independence and neutrality.
Born in Cospicua, he excelled academically, earning degrees in science and engineering from the University of Malta and later an M.A. in Engineering Science at Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. During the Second World War, he worked as a civil engineer in the UK and later as an architect in Malta.
Mintoff entered politics in the 1930s, becoming General Secretary of the Labour Party and, by 1947, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Works. He first served as Prime Minister from 1955–1958, then again from 1971–1984.
His second term reshaped Malta’s future:
- Negotiated the dismantling of British military bases.
- Secured a defence agreement with NATO (1972).
- Signed a friendship treaty with China and joined the Non-Aligned Movement.
- Declared Malta a Republic (1974).
- Oversaw the withdrawal of British forces in 1979, affirming neutrality.
Internationally, he was honoured with distinctions from Libya, Tunisia, Greece, and Morocco. Dom Mintoff resigned in 1984 but remained an advisor.
He was married to Moyra de Vere Bentinck with whom he had two daughters, and enjoyed horse-riding, swimming, and playing boċċi in his spare time. He died on 20 August 2012 at the age of 96, leaving a legacy as the architect of Malta’s modern statehood.
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