Watch: ‘Turns Out Manwel Dimech Was Not Actually A Socialist’ – Jon Mallia
Jon Mallia has sought to dispel popular belief that the late journalist and political activist Manwel Dimech was a socialist and warned that these claims are a “historical myth”.
“Manwel Dimech completely despised the British tyranny [over Malta] and had an important wish that all Maltese people be considered equal, but let’s not forget that the Americans also wanted to split from the Crown and wrote in their Declaration of Independence that all men are created equal,” the renowned podcaster said in an interview with Lovin Malta.
“However, no fool will tell you that the Republican Thomas Jefferson was a socialist.”
Dimech’s death in exile in Egypt was recently brought up by Joseph Muscat at a political rally, with the former Prime Minister comparing Dimech’s plight with calls from sections of society for his own imprisonment.
Prime Minister Robert Abela last year also hailed Dimech for his “socialist” principles as he commemorated him at his monument in Castille Square.
However, Mallia argued that such descriptions miss the point of what socialism actually means.
“Socialism isn’t when your heart bleeds for the downtrodden and the vulnerable people and when wish for a better and more equal society,” he pointed out.
“It is a political and economic system that, through taxes and other means, gives the state as many individual resources as possible so that, in all its wisdom, it can share and distribute them.”
View this post on Instagram
Mallia pointed out that Dimech never mentioned the teachings of the likes of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels once in his Il-Bandiera tal-Maltin newspaper, even though these socialist philosophers were extremely influential among the European intelligentsia back then.
Rather, he said Dimech was an avid reason of the utilitarian philosopher John Stuart Mill, who was a proponent of small government.
“Dimech indeed despised tyranny across the board, which is why he had progressive ideas to not only emancipate Maltese men but Maltese women too, but this doesn’t mean you can pigeonhole him.”
“The best thing about Dimech is that he was a free thinker and the fact that we are now trying to pigeonhole him in a manner that suits us is an insult to the memory of this heroic man.”
Mallia said Dimech’s greatest life mission was for Malta to overcome mediocrity and ignorance and questioned whether the country has moved closer or further away from these ideals since Dimech’s death.
Do you think Manwel Dimech was a socialist?
READ NEXT: Man At Risk Of Dying After Losing Control Of Car And Crashing Into Floriana Private Property
