The truth that Dom Mintoff’s and his Labour Party’s past are a landmark in our recent history with all the glory and shortcomings, of which there were plenty, can’t be denied. It is shameful however that even the smallest gaffes were magnified by the PN to look grossly horrendous with specific awareness campaigns claiming such things as murder, destroying the earth and poisoning pregnant women. Regardless of the claim or the lack of evidence behind it, I am still surprised that the Labour Party with such power was not doing something better in terms of reputation management in order to lessen the blow of the anti-Labour media. The right-wing media are very well marketed and go to show there is always room for Joe Public to disseminate a fear of the MLP taking us back to the old Labour ways.
“Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the worst possible time, in the worst possible way”. This saying, referred to as Murphy’s Law, is continually and successfully used by the PN in their scare campaigns against Labour.
The period 1955-1987 was a period of political and social upheaval in our recent history, during which our governmental structure, previously a British Colony with quasi-feudal privileges for the rich, the powerful, the noble and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Enlightenment principles of nationalism and inalienable rights.
These changes were accompanied by violent acts, including assassinations, and according to the PN, Dom Mintoff and Labour were always the perpetrators and them the wounded.
In 1992 the new Labour with Dr Sant at its helm decided to look forward and ignore the demonising exercise professionally staged by the PN. People who lived and experienced those years are more conversant with the true picture and can attest that both sides had their villainy and their casualties. And yet some of the PN supporters today with that classic patronising smirk we all know and love, remark, “They never change do they?”
Perhaps due to Labour’s sad events during the fateful 1998 events, an old Labour reputation management exercise was never on Dr Sant’s agenda and as a result the PN got the upper hand with their demonising campaigns.
The current rehabilitation exercise by Labour is vivifying the obvious but now it shall be a long walk to repair the damage.
Having stated the above I still maintain that we mustn’t live in the past or be eternally bitter for injustices and painful wounds received long ago; I try to use history as I use my rear view mirror when driving, an occasional peep but focused on the road ahead otherwise I’ll be done for.
The MLP should feel proud of its past history and also recognise that they are in duty bound to laud it as well as to learn from the mistakes even though the way to progress is forward.

Charles J. Buttigieg
Mellieha