Muscat’s voluntary work 

Leafing through some old papers, I came across a cutting of Times of Malta (May 9, 2020) subheaded ‘Joseph Muscat “unpaid” for economic advice’ informing readers that he was a consultant on the government’s COVID-19 economic recovery plan.

Minister Silvio Schembri was quick to declare that Muscat is not being paid for his services to the government. Schembri continued to say that it bothered him how, every time Muscat did something, there were attempts to demonise him.

I feel it’s pertinent to ask Schembri whether now, more than a year later, he still feels bothered that Muscat is being demonised more than ever. More so, following the publication of the public inquiry report into the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, which conclusions are by now known to all.

Let us not forget that Muscat was recently given €120,000 as compensation for end of service, after being forced to resign as prime minister. Let us not forget also that the same Muscat was declared the most corrupt person in Europe in 2019.

It is incredible how some MPs do not feel ashamed of being part and parcel of the Labour administration.

Emily Barbaro-Sant – Mosta

Noble or vile?

Former PM Dom Mintoff. Photo: DOI

There are quite a few anecdotes I would add to Mark Montebello’s mainly fawning recollections of Dom Mintoff, apart from contesting a number of his perceptions, as also inserting some English prose to substitute various linguistic horrors.

For now I will limit myself to Montebello’s quote of Mintoff on page 575: “In judging affairs of state I condoned readily the Machiavellian implementation of foul means for a noble end. But I considered diabolical the extension of this practice for personal gain.”

Well, back in the early 1980s, my then employers requested a loan for solid, reputable, job-generating business development from the state-owned Investment Finance Bank. On a particular day, after midnight, as per standard psychological tactics, our candyfloss melt-in-your-mouth prime minister sent for them and made three conditions totally unrelated to the business, or to any business for that matter.

One of these conditions was that they fire me. When one of them said “But we are very happy with his performance”, Mintoff turned round and said: “Beware because he will take your company for himself.”

I was told this over a strong tot of scotch early that same morning after my shaken employers returned from their night encounter at Castille with no loan being given as they refused all three conditions. So much for Mintoff’s noble ends. My employers had presented a very sound business proposal, which was immediately approved on its merits, on the change of government in 1987 and further supported by the further change of government in the 1990s.

Despite his destruction of my earlier career and his failure to destroy my second one, I have always tried to be fair and reasonable where Mintoff was concerned, and accorded him his due merits, but I have never been blind to other actions of his.

Now, I ask fellow citizens, where does his attempt to ruin me and my family lie? Was it a noble end for the benefit of the state or was it the vilest act that a person in absolute power would try to perpetrate on a defenceless being like myself?

Michael Mallia - Marsascala

All in a name 

As I was looking to find a flight to Istanbul, I found that one of the three airports is called Sabiha.

We all know in Malta what sabiħa stands for, however, I never knew that it was also a name and, therefore, I did some research. 

The airport was given the name Sabiha for Sabiha Gökçen, who was one of the first female pilots in the world. 

The name and meaning/definition of Sabiha shows that Sabiha is a girl/female baby name and the origin is African, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Indian, Kannada, Muslim, Pashtun, Swahili, Tamil and Turkish.

It means beautiful; graceful; forenoon.

I wonder how the name Sabiha or Sabieha never picked up in Malta!

Anthony Zammit – Victoria

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