Parliament pays tribute to Mosta doctor and PL MP Paul Chetcuti Caruana
Chetcuti Caruana had received a letter bomb which failed to explode during the 1977 doctors' strikes
Parliament has paid tribute to Paul Chetcuti Caruana, the former Labour MP and Mosta doctor who died in January at the age of 77.
During the doctors’ strikes in December 1977, he received a letter bomb that failed to explode on the same day that another letter bomb killed Karin Grech, the daughter of the medical professor Edwin Grech.
Chetcuti Caruana was a Labour MP between 1976 and 1981 and mayor of his hometown Mosta, between 2007 and 2012.
Opening the session, Deputy Prime Minister Ian Borg recalled how many of the doctors' patients would describe him as a “unique character and a very good family doctor”.
“He knew his patients on a one-to-one basis, and I read online how some of his patients even trusted him with their house key when he would pay them a house visit,” Borg said.
He said he got to know Chetcuti Caruana personally when Borg was Dingli mayor, and recalled the lively discussions they had during his time as Mosta mayor.
“He would say what he had to say with a lot of passion and enthusiasm, and then calm down and listen to you, and always get the work done," Borg said.
He recalled how before the 2007 election, Mosta had no Labour majority in the council, and the party general secretary at the time, Jason Micallef, had put together some of the best candidates for the chance to win the majority in the council. He recalled how the popular Mosta doctor was one of those candidates.
Opposition leader Alex Borg said Chetcuti Caruana’s story is a reminder of those who took courageous steps to serve the people during difficult times.
He recalled how Chetcuti Caruana was one of the doctors who was targeted with a letter bomb, all because he wanted to continue working as a doctor and seeing his patients.
“We remember the good of people, and we do not allow violence to become a normality,” Grech said.
“Despite the political differences, we will always respect those who step into public life and provide a service to society. We hope his memory will live on and remind us to pay respect to one another.”
Speaker Anġlu Farrugia also paid tribute to Chetcuti Caruana, recalling fond memories of the two working together. He showed a photo to the House of him sitting beside the Mosta doctor back in 1974, around the time he announced he would run in the elections.
He recalled how, when he received the bomb letter, it was a moment that stuck in his mind.
“He was a person who believed in what he did. He had no agenda and was well known among his patients as a well-respected doctor,” he said.
“He always believed in the importance of serving people.”