Former Maltese Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici dead at 89

Former Maltese Prime Minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici has died during the night between Friday and Saturday. He was 89 years old.

Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici or KMB as he was commonly called, served as Leader of the Labour Party from 1984 to 1992 and Prime Minister from 1984 to 1987.

Son of Lorenzo Mifsud Bonnici and Catherine Buttigieg, Karmenu was born in a family strongly anchored in the Nationalist Party. Karmenu was the third among six brothers including the former Parliamentary Secretary of the Nationalist Party Dr. Antione Mifsud Bonnici. His cousin was Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, son of the PN grandee Carmelo ‘il-Gross’ Mifsud Bonnici, who would later become minister and President of Malta.

MaltaToday reports how Mifsud Bonnici was co-opted to Parliament after the resignation of Labour MP Paul Xuereb and appointed Minister of Labour and Social Services. In 1983 he was appointed senior deputy Prime Minister and education minister.

But his ham-fisted reforms to make faith-schools owned by Church orders free for all was met with opposition by the Catholic Church, with parents falling in line when schools closed their doors. The impasse was resolved with negotiations on state financing of the schools.

In 2003, during the referendum campaign for the accession of Malta to the European Union, Mifsud Bonnici with other labourites launched the Campaign for National Independence (CNI) and later joined the Front Maltin Inqumu (Maltese Arise Front) to oppose Malta’s EU membership.

A number of politicians from all the spectrum, praised his humility, integrity and strength of conviction. A couple also acknowledged, somewhat tactfully, that his time in power is not remembered especially fondly by most. There were notes of condolences from President George Vella and Prime Minister Robert Abela, as well as a note from Opposition leader Bernard Grech, who described Mifsud Bonnici as someone who “worked doggedly for what he believed in” and offered his family his condolences. (Times of Malta)

There will be no state funeral for former prime minister Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici, out of respect for his last wishes. The Mifsud Bonnici family informed the Office of the Prime Minister that the late former prime minister had made his wishes known in a declaratory letter. Mifsud Bonnici had stated not to undergo this type of funeral after his death. (Newsbook)