On electoral process manipulation
The report about the political turmoil created in Malta as a result of the fact that the Labour Party had won the 1981 general election by winning the majority of seats – according to the electoral law existing at that time – when the Nationalist Party had polled a 5,000 majority of votes, could have easily happened just 10 years earlier, in 1971.
The Labour Party had won the 1971 general election by a handful of votes even if it had around 5,000 more votes than the PN.
Had that handful of votes in the Qormi district – around 10 votes or so – not been transferred from a PN candidate to the labour candidate (Ġużé Abela, if I remember correctly) that seat would have been won by the PN. And the PN would have won the majority of seats while Labour would have won the majority of votes.
The PN kept asking for a recount of votes in that district, which proves that the PN had intended to govern had they succeeded in winning that Qormi district seat, even if they knew that Labour had won the majority of votes over the PN.
What is very interesting is that days after Labour had won the 1971 election, both by a majority of seats and a 4,695 majority of votes, two well-known
PN businessmen – Roger Camilleri and Mr Said – had contacted newly elected Gozitan MP, the late Angelo Camilleri, offering him Lm100,000 (€233,000) to cross the floor and join the PN parliamentary group.
Had Angelo Camilleri, the grandfather of present Gozitan Minister Clint Camilleri, accepted the bribe, the PN would have managed to get a majority of seats and would have formed the government, despite ending in a minority of seats and votes.
Alas, Angelo Camilleri was a Labour “soldier of steel” and informed the police about the bribe he had been offered. So when the two PN businessmen went to Camilleri’s residence, the police were hidden there and could hear everything that was being said. So Roger Camilleri and Said were caught red-handed. They were arrested and ended in prison.
This PN tactic of trying to govern even when they have not won the majority of seats, nor the majority of votes, had already happened in 1962. Both the PN on one side with 42 per cent of the votes and the parties opposing the PN with 58 per cent had won an equal number of seats.
Once again, the PN had somehow “convinced” (?) newly elected DNP MP, Amabile Cauchi, to cross the floor, which he did. Hence, the PN had managed to get a majority of seats and was able to govern.
This is why when PN exponents hurl accusations of corruption and manipulation of the electoral process, they convince no one except their fanatic diehard supporters.
The above also confirms that the PN will stop at nothing to try and grab power.
May I take this opportunity to wish the editor, all the staff as well as all readers of Times of Malta, irrespective of their political views, and all their dear ones, a very merry Christmas as well as good health and all that their heart may desire in the New Year.
Eddy Privitera – Mosta
Gone to pot
Now that we’re spearheading Europe’s dope free-for-all, we can, no doubt, look forward to an influx of a novel tourist market.
Then again, people attracted to visit Malta in spite of cranes everywhere, rampant ugliness and congestion would surely need to be smoking something.
Anna Micallef – Sliema
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