Updated 4.01pm

Political heavyweights lined up on Saturday morning to pay tribute to the memory of Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, the former Labour Party leader who died aged 89.

From Robert Abela to Marie Louise Coleiro Preca, there were words of praise for a man described as a “true Labourite” who “worked tirelessly for workers”.

Almost all praised his humility, integrity and strength of conviction. A couple also acknowledged, somewhat tactfully, that his time in power is not remembered especially fondly by most.

There were notes of condolences from President George Vella and Prime Minister Robert Abela, as well as a note from Opposition leader Bernard Grech, who described Mifsud Bonnici as someone who “worked doggedly for what he believed in” and offered his family his condolences.

One of Mifsud Bonnici’s relatives, his niece Paula, is a PN MP. 

"Farewell dear uncle Karm," she wrote. "We will love you forever."

Former president Marie Louise Coleiro Preca said Mifsud Bonnici had taught her the value of social justice and “boundless love” for the working class.

“Those who lived politics with him know what a GENTLEMAN and SOCIALIST he was,” the former president wrote on Facebook.

Alfred Sant, who took over as Labour leader from Mifsud Bonnici in 1992, also paid tribute to his former colleague. 

“I remain profoundly thankful for the support, help and friendship he gave me when he was Prime Minister and Labour leader, as well as afterwards,” Sant wrote. 

“Although it appears that the good he did has been forgotten with the passage of time, Mifsud Bonnici deserves and will one day be placed on the very first rank on the scales of history,” he concluded.

The man who succeeded Sant, Joseph Muscat, recalled Mifsud Bonnici arguing the finer points of laws in parliament, long after his colleagues had left the building. 

"His wisdom and competence came as a shock to me, coming as I did from a Church school background at a time when the image of him fed to us was that of an enemy of the people and an incompetent puppet," Muscat wrote. 

Deputy prime minister Chris Fearne described Mifsud Bonnici as “a man among men” and a true Labourite.  “Malta has lost a political giant,” he wrote.

Former Labour minister Leo Brincat said that he had “only seen good” in Mifsud Bonnici.

“A kind man of integrity and humility, with a heart of gold that never thought of himself first,” Brincat said. 

Planning Minister Stefan Zrinzo Azzopardi, who worked in Mifsud Bonnici's practice as a budding lawyer, recalled how Mifsud Bonnici would work tirelessly on cases but then show no interest in getting paid. 

Culture Minister Owen Bonnici described Mifsud Bonnici as “the most unique person" he's ever met” and acknowledged his unwavering loyalty to Mintoff, writing that Mifsud Bonnici “loved Malta very much, Gozo more and Mintoff perhaps most.”

It was Mifsud Bonnici, he wrote, who provided the clothes that Dun Ġorġ Preca’s body was shrouded in during his burial.

Labour Party veteran Michael Farrugia recalled Mifsud Bonnici summoning him for a meeting to see what he thought of plans to reform this Labour Party. 

"He knew I was part of the party that was pushing for change," Farrugia wrote. 

As other Labour MPs rushed to sing the praises of the former party leader, a couple found a way of tactfully acknowledging that his political career was not a resounding success.

“Political history has not always been kind to KMB, but he was always kind to everyone,” wrote MP Glenn Bedingfield.

“The Labour Party should be grateful to him for having kept the party together during its most difficult times,” he wrote. “History should be just with this greatest of gentlemen in Maltese politics,” he wrote.

Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia was also someone reflective, writing on Facebook that “like all other politicians, he will be judged by his legacy and achievements”. 

“He told me that he wanted to do more, but had been constrained by circumstances,” Farrugia wrote.

“He took over a party that had long started losing support, with a Nationalist Party that was probably at its strongest and with many around him that did not always allow him to work as he wished.”  

Mifsud Bonnici lost the 1987 general election after years of political strife and then went on to lead the party to another electoral defeat in 1992 before stepping down. 

Former PN MP and fellow lawyer Therese Comodini Cachia saw Mifsud Bonnici as a man of contradictions, whose violent reign contrasted with his gentle demeanour. 

"For me KMB was the face for a childhood lost to the experience of political violence & for political profiling that led to violence," she wrote in a series of tweets. 

"I was shocked when as a young lawyer I came face to face with KMB. I didn’t find any recognition of the violent force his face meant to me."

Outside of politics, Tony Zahra, the president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association paid tribute to the former prime minister describing him as a "genuine gentleman” and defender of the working class.

"Despite the various controversies which characterized his tenure as Prime Minister and beyond, he remained loyal to his beliefs," he said.