Editorial • 07 September 2003

Coming to terms with our past

It is a truism that no country can move forward unless it comes to terms with its past. Malta is a case in point, and much of what happened in its recent past remains shrouded in mystery, with much more being known in private than people are prepared to admit in public. Prior to the 1986 elections Malta was moving towards civil war. Raymond Caruana was killed, Karen Grech was killed, Nardu Debono was killed in police custody, Lino Cauchi was killed. The police had become part of a violent state machinery. Several politicians were involved behind the scenes of violent attacks on citizens. Bombs maimed others and most of the perpetrators have never been brought to justice. The police looked on while people were beaten to a pulp.
The BICAL story in MaltaToday is just one of many in the scandalous annals of those violent and corrupt years. Public works minister Lorry Sant was one of the most maligned figures thought responsible for violence and widespread corruption. Although much evidence against him was gathered, he was never brought to justice.
Students were beaten, human rights protestors and environmentalists fared no better.
This was the time when colour TVs, import licenses, houses and plots of land were dished out as political favours, and yet nobody was brought to justice, least of all the many members of the police force that should have seen that justice was done. The only person to come under the judge’s hammer was the former police commissioner Lawrence Pullicino who served several years in jail in connection with the Nardu Debono murder. While he probably deserved his conviction, he has been made to pay for the collective guilt of the entire police force.
Growing up is a process that everybody goes though and naturally there are growing pains, but some people in Malta, who know much more than the rest of us, would seem to have an interest to keep Malta’s development stunted.
Many of the politicians that militated during those terrible years are still around. Many of them still command respect and have thrust themselves into important positions. These politicians owe us an explanation for those years.
Politicians from both sides of the political fence have much explaining to do.
One of the central figures who cannot be ignored is Dom Mintoff, the fiery former Prime Minister who sometimes acts as if he were still Premier.
While Mintoff deserves praise for introducing the welfare state and pulling so many of us away from the poverty line, he should be held politically responsible for much that went wrong.
Mintoff, who has never been implicated in corruption scandals, always lurched behind the scenes.
If Mintoff had to sit down and write him memoirs, and write them honestly, we are sure that his revelations would help us unravel much of what he was responsible for.