Politics is a risk, you have to take it
Dr Borg Olivier (1911-1980) LLD. D. Litt MP was in those days Leader of the Opposition. He was Prime Minister of Malta between 1950 and 1955 and between 1962 and 1971.
We met at 9th July 1973 at the Speaker’s Office during a session of Parliament. ‘Dr. Tabone is addressing the House, he might carry on for ages, so let’s talk in the meantime’
He considers himself a practising Catholic, but does not feel guilty if he has not been to church on Sunday.
‘Since the 1921 Constitution we had a Nationalist Government first. Later there was the Constitutional Party. Lord Strickland was a controversial person. Mintoff followed his footsteps, but is less formal.
Not the Church meddles in politics, but the political parties bring in the Church. Nowone expects the Church to be lenient if religious education is not given its prominence in the schools. They had a right to make their voices heard.
During the thirties the priests had a right to vote and to be an MP. They made opposition against Strickland. He blamed the whole Church. The priests (because of the tradition and the Italian language and culture) sided with the PN. Strickland was unfair against the professions and the Church. He stimulated class hatred.
It is not true that Mintoff hates the Church because he hates religion. He only ? the voice of the Church too strong.
The Church pronounced itself. I never encouraged it. In 1962 there was a rumour that the Archbishop might excommunicate the MLP leaders. I asked the executive committee (of the Nationalist Party; AK) to join me in going to Mgr. Gonzi to ask him not to do that. Then Mintoff would always have blamed his loss of the elections to it.
In 1962 I only wanted to become Prime Minister if some amendments to the Constitution were accepted, for instance the police under me and not under the Governor. I got them. I also wanted some financial contribution towards the infrastructure. The Colonial Administration had nor built a single classroom, they did nothing for us. England was difficult. I got Malta removed from the Colonial Office to the Commonwealth Office.
Dr. Ganado split from us because in his eyes we did not attack Labour enough. He was influenced by Mabel. He did not want Independence. Politics is a risk, you have to take it.
Photo: Independence: His finest day
Mabel was one of the first who congratulated me when I gor Independence. Later also Dr. Ganado did.
In 1966 I foresaw the smell parties to disappear, I proved right.
In 1971 I only lost with one seat. But I had more votes than in the previous election. In a democracy one has to loose. But Mr. Mintoff makes too much of his one seat majority.
The Civic Council for Gozo was an invention of the Colonial Administration to keep Gozo quiet.’
Unfortunately, at this moment, Dr. Borg Olivier was called back into the House. I promised me a continuation of the interview, but this never materialized. A few years later I watched him being taken on the shoulders of his staunch supporters during the feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta. During 1976 the electoral campaign I watched him address some mass meetings and saw his ‘fatal’ Ejjew maghna speech on television. It was the end of a brilliant career.
Many years later, preserved for posterity
The photo was taken in December 2024
(originally posted on Facebook on 1st September 2023)