News • 6 October 2002

Mintoff’s movement causes tremors in political establishment

By Kurt Sansone

After making appearances on Smash TV and Xarabank Dom Mintoff intends taking his message to the political party stations. The prospects of appearing on Net TV look good but the doors at Super One are closed shut.

However, it is not clear whether the Nationalist Party administration will take kindly to the idea of Mintoff having a free reign on the party station.

Dom Mintoff’s two public appearances on television have created a frenzy, with sources close to the former prime minister telling MaltaToday that membership to the new movement Front Maltin Inqumu has swelled considerably since the launch two weeks ago.

They added: "It is not a weak movement and people from all walks of life have donated money to become members."

Over the last few weeks Dom Mintoff has been trying to crystallise the movement’s position in relation to EU membership and he seems to have homed in on three issues: sovereignty, neutrality and the presence of military warships in Malta’s harbours. Mr Mintoff is wary that EU membership in the current circumstances will not provide sufficient guarantees for Malta’s neutrality.

The octogenarian still holds a grudge against Labour leader Alfred Sant and although he has found ears ready to listen, for many in the Labour Party he is a persona non grata. On Thursday during the Xarabank recording in Bormal a number of Labour Party supporters including Drydocks militant Tony Coleiro objected to certain statements made by Mr Mintoff. The former prime minister is widely blamed for toppling Dr Sant’s Labour government in 1998.