I, like those of my age, grew in the shadow of Dom Mintoff. His thoughts and actions left an enduring mark, for better or for worse, on his contemporaries. Love him or hate him, no one was indifferent to Mr Mintoff. An accomplished orator who loved an audience, he had charisma, a rebellious mind and immense drive.

For Mr Mintoff the big choice was between poverty (and emigration) and a decent standard of living for the Maltese- Joseph Vella Bonnici

I was positively impressed by all the praise that has been showered on Mintoff since he passed away. Malta seems to have rediscovered its great leader. It was he who drove Malta towards modernisation and industrialisation. There could have been other paths, other tactics, but his was as valid as any other.

Thanks to him, the middle class grew and prospered in this country. If I were to point out his single, biggest contribution to Maltese society, I would say his convincing us to be proud of being Maltese. Centuries of colonialism made us look up on foreigners; Mintoff helped us believe in ourselves and not to feel inferior due to history or the small size of our country.

In my teenage years, I was not keen on politics. My parents, both shopkeepers, were largely apolitical, even though they both came from Nationalist families. Entering university proved to be my baptism of fire in politics. It was the same year that Mintoff became prime minister for the second time. At the time, our university was elitist and what mattered most was one’s surname.

Mintoff taking on the might of Great Britain and Nato caught the imagination of my generation. His asking the West for more money, so as to eventually afford to get rid of the military forces in our country, was visionary.

In the years following World War II, Malta was practically left out of America’s Marshall Aid Plan, which helped finance the re-construction of Europe. Mintoff was determined that, this time round, the West would pay up. His statesmanship was influenced by other great leaders of ‘new’ nations: Gandhi, Nasser and Tito. At home, he realised that economic progress was the primary key to our society’s modernisation.

In line with the economic thinking and realities of the time, the socialist leader favoured local manufacturers over traders. Import substitution was an internationally accepted policy and was deemed necessary to give infant firms the time to mature before facing outside competition.

The country had limited foreign exchange and had to prioritise what to import. Realising the importance of controlling the cost of living, Mintoff resorted to bulk buying.

These measures, seen from the perspective of the present consumerist society, may seem irrational but helped create wealth which benefitted also the masses.

For Mintoff, the big choice was between poverty (and emigration) and a decent standard of living for the Maltese. He was a man in a hurry, and would let nothing stand in his way.

I got to know the Prime Minister in person some years after my return from studying overseas. I had chosen to come back to Malta in the hope that one day I would be able to work closely with him.

The opportunity came in the early 1980s, when I was seconded from the Malta Development Corporation to run Enemalta’s Petroleum Division and to establish a bunkering operation, MOBC Ltd.

Together with Henry Coppini and Sydney Barbara, I formed part of an oil committee, but all purchasing decisions were made by Mintoff himself. Then, the real price of oil was as high as it is today. Working with Mintoff proved to be a unique, challenging experience.

The great reformer was a real lateral thinker and demanded complete commitment from those around him. He was not an easy person to please; many of his close aides worked in fear and were under undue stress. Contrary to what political spin now wants us to believe, he was surrounded by top civil servants and advisors who were declared Nationalists. He generally trusted and supported them. He also had a number of close Nationalist friends, generally businessmen, who were assigned sensitive tasks and held important chairmanship posts.

One incident I remember vividly is when Il-Prim directed me to give instructions to anchor the tanker Danny Cremona at Hurd Bank. Libya had just sent a gun-boat to stop Saipem II from drilling for oil. Mintoff was trying to get the support of the Italian (Saipem II belonged to Agip) and American (the oil drilling concession belonged to Texaco) governments to keep the Libyan navy at bay.

The presence of our bunkering vessel was meant to help Malta assert its sea territorial rights.

My secondment with Enemalta was terminated as it did not fit with Mintoff’s plans. Although he intended to resign from Prime Minister, he wanted to continue being responsible for the procurement of oil, through the counter-trade company which he eventually set up.

Admittedly, for a while I felt bad; but time heals. Some months later, he sent word for me to join the counter-trade company. I refused.

A close friend of his once warned me that “Mintoff is like the sun. He is best seen from afar; if one gets too close there is a risk of getting burnt”.

Dom Mintoff now lives on in us and in his legacy in favour of Joe Maltese.

fms18@onvol.net