Daniel Micallef, former Labour speaker, MP, dies, aged 94
Former Speaker of the House Daniel Micallef, who presided over one of the most turbulent moments in Malta's parliamentary history, has passed away. He was 94. A well-known and respected doctor not just in his native Rabat, but all over the country, Micallef was seen as a moderate voice in the tough Dom Mintoff years when the political situation in Malta was tense. He was first elected to parliament with the Christian Workers’ Party in 1962 but resigned in 1966 and did not contest the election held that year. He told Times of Malta in an interview in 2010 that “Archbishop Michael Gonzi sent Fr Feliċjan Bilocca to speak to me in 1961 to join the Partit tal-Ħaddiema Nsara (set up by former Labour activist Toni Pellegrini). They believed Mintoff was a communist who wanted to destroy the Church.” Eventually, Micallef fell out with Pellegrini because he felt he could no longer trust him and resigned in 1966. He had utmost respect for former Nationalist Prime Minister George Borg Olivier but felt hurt by the way he believed the British were treating the Maltese. He recontested and was elected on the Labour Party ticket in 1971, 1976, 1981 and 1987. His years as Speaker - between 1982...