Daniel Micallef, former Labor speaker, MP, dies at the age of 94
The former Speaker of the House Daniel Micallef, who presided over one of the most turbulent moments in Malta’s parliamentary history, has died. He was 94 years old.
A well-known and respected doctor not only in his native Victoria, but throughout the country, Micallef was considered a moderate voice during the difficult years of Dom Mintoff when the political situation in Malta was tense.
He was elected for the first time in parliament with the Christian Workers Party in 1962 but resigned in 1966 and did not contest the election held that year.
He said Times of Malta in an an interview in 2010 that “Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi sent Don Felician Bilocca to talk to me in 1961 to join the Workers’ Party Christians (founded by former Labor activist Toni Pellegrini). They believed that 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 the greatest respect for the former Nationalist Prime Minister George Borg Olivier but felt hurt by the way he believed the British were treating the Maltese.
He contested again and was elected on the Labor Party ticket in 1971, 1976, 1981 and 1987.
His years as Speaker – between 1982 and 1986, saw him deal with Malta’s biggest constitutional crisis, triggered by the Nationalists’ boycott of the opening of parliament in February 1982 in protest at the way how the Socialists had made the electoral districts to achieve victory.
After failing to convince the Nationalists to change their minds, Micallef removed the seat to the 31 PN deputies three months later. Even if the Nationalists of that time did not agree with his interpretation of the constitution, Micallef stressed that he is obliged by law to make the historic declaration in April 1982 that the PN seats were vacant. The Nationalists regained their seats in parliament 11 months later.
Micallef was appointed Minister of Education and the Environment in 1986 and was Labor spokesperson on education and the environment when the PL lost the 1987 election.
His political life also saw him serve as Acting President in April 1982 and later, in January 1997, he was appointed ambassador of Malta to the Holy See and to the Sovereign Military Hospital Order of St. John of St. Jerusalem, positions he held until 1999.
But Micallef was also known in the medical field and was an elected member of the Royal College of General Practitioners in London. His interest in alternative medicine has become his daily mantra in recent years. Micallef had also founded the Institute of Design for Environmental Action.
In 2010 Times of Malta interview, he described himself as “cosmopolitan” because despite his close ties with the Labor Party, he refused to insert himself into any particular political category.
Micallef was married to Pauline Farrugia and they had seven children – Mark, Paul, Daniel, Marika, Denise, Isabelle, and Bernardette.
In a statement, the Labor Party said that Micallef will be remembered for his solid socialist principles and for always being close to the people.
Condolences were also given by the current Speaker.
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