MaltaMedia.com

Front Favur Dom Mintoff is the new name for the former lobby group Front Maltin Inqumu. This group was set up in 2002 by Mr Mintoff, with the aim to protest against the manner in which the government was carrying out negotiations with the EU before membership. The group is still running even though Malta has joined the EU more than five years ago.

The Pro-Mintoff change for this anti-EU lobby was taken by the committee to honour the former Prime Minister. John Zammit, head of Alleanza Liberali, said that Mr Mintoff was not given enough recognition for what he has done for Malta, and he hopes that the name change would give Mr Mintoff some of the credit that he deserves.

The group, which was initially joined by former Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici split up when Dr Mifsud Bonnici left to continue his work with the CNi (Campaign for National Independence), another anti-EU membership group, however the committee continued to meet.

Dr Zammit stated that he feels Mr Mintoff has been forgotten and ignored, even by the Labour Party itself. Hostility between the party developed in 1998, when Mr Mintoff voted against the Labour government, then led by Dr Alfred Sant, regarding the issue of the Cottonera yacht marina. This led to the downfall of the Labour Party, only 22 months after a landslide victory in 1996.

“Labour completely ignored Mr Mintoff. We wanted Dr Sant to apologise for calling him a traitor. Whatever Mr Mintoff did was in Malta’s best interest. Had he not done it, Malta would not be an EU member nor have the euro. I left Labour and will never go back. I set up Allenza Liberali to divert people from the Labour Party. Dom Mintoff is my god and Malta’s saviour,” said Dr Zammit.

The Front Favur Dom Mintoff group constitutes of Dr Zammit, Charles Aquilina and six other committee members who do not wish to be mentioned.

Residents in Cospicua have called on the authorities to place a plaque on the façade of Mr Mintoff’s house while Labour MP Chris Agius wants the authorities to protect the same house where Mr Mintoff was born.

This is a Sunday Times story.