News • 29 September 2002

George Abela defies Labour and befriends Mintoff

The Labour party is incensed at the involvement of George Abela, the former deputy leader of the Malta Labour party with former Premier Dom Mintoff. It appears that the softspoken George Abela, a lawyer by profession, is seeking Mintoff’s political blessings.

At the age of 86 the hawkish and fiery former Labour leader returned to the fore on Smash TV in a programme hosted by Nationalist candidate David Agius last Monday. Dr George Abela, a close friend of another former Labour Minister, Lino Spiteri, has been seen visiting the private residence of the ageing Labour diehard. George Abela who was part of the winning trilogy that brought Labour back to government in 1996 was regarded as a possible substitute for Alfred Sant..

Though Dr Abela refuses to commit himself to making a U-turn and returning back to politics, observers have interpreted his high profile role in the recent Kerygma fundraising event as one fine way of hitching a ride on some free publicity. He also has taken up commitments as a lawyer with companies who until recently were in his line of fire because of the change in environment.

Known by both himself and the Labour party, his association with Dom Mintoff signals his defiance. Dom Mintoff remains a persona non grata with the MLP

Dom Mintoff’s displeasure with Alfred Sant is so great that he has no compunction in passing disparaging remarks about Dr Sant to visitors who pay homage to him at The Olives at Tarxien.

Strikingly, George Abela has not taken a stance against the option of torpedoing membership. He has also accepted to have a role in Meusac (Malta-EU Steering Action Committee). But his political opinions are hardly expressed; he shuns interviews on politics and only talks about politics to some close confidantes.

His presence around the Mintoff entourage is being seen as an attempt to garner support from the once upon a time Kingmaker. Unfortunately for the former union legal representative the aura of Dom Mintoff appears to be on the decline and more and more of the electorate are starting to consider him as an old man with a chip on his shoulder.

Yet, it remains to be seen how much damage, Mr Mintoff is capable of inflicting on his archfoe; Alfred Sant.

Mr Mintoff’s interest in projecting his new movement is slowly reaching fruition with his plans to appear in a Xarabank programme. It is understood that Mr Mintoff has made his own conditions known to the PBS programmehosts. On Smash TV Mr Mintoff practically dictated the programme’s proceedings, including where Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici was to sit down. The recording of the Xarabank programme is expected to take place next Thursday between 6.00pm and 9.00pm in Bormla’s main square, just metres away from the Labour Party club.

The programme has already created furore in the Bormla local council where the Labourite mayor expressed his disagreement with the recording in Bormla’s main square. The programme presenters have retaliated by filing a judicial protest.

The whole event promises to be a circus. Just the right thing for Mr Mintoff, and his acolytes, which include Sammy Meilaq and Father Mark Montebello.