Prime Minister Pays Respects To Former Labour Leader Dom Mintoff On Anniversary Of His Birth
Prime Minister and Labour Party leader Robert Abela has paid his respects to former Prime Minister Dom Mintoff on the 105th anniversary of his birth.
Abela laid flowers at the foot of a monument to the former Labour leader in Bormla and was accompanied by the Labour Party’s administration.
In a statement, the party described Mintoff as a “giant of Maltese politics”.
“He was known for his various social projects, the investment he brought to the country and important constitutional advances such as Malta obtaining full freedom from the United Kingdom,” Labour said.
Mintoff held office between 1955 and 1958 and again between 1971 and 1984. He is one of the most controversial figures in the history of Maltese politics and is loved and hated in equal measure.
His supporters rightly credit him with having heralded several progressive reforms in the country and of having overseen society’s release from the grip of the Catholic church. He is also credited with creating Malta’s welfare state and raising living standards for the poorest in society.
On the other hand, the premiership was towards the end characterised by authoritarianism and outbreaks of political violence.
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