On the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary since our country was granted independence and our people took it into their own hands, it is good to reflect on what independence meant for Malta, and for us Maltese.
The release by the ruler of the rule he had on our islands gave birth to Malta Nation. It was sixty years that, despite obstacles that could have arisen, both from the inside and from the outside, they translated into an improvement in the daily life of the people – development in the economy, in health, in education and the creation of opportunities in ‘many areas, where the democracy that we worked together, also translated into an enrichment of our country’s culture. It is time to stop and reflect: the future we want to build together for those who are born from us is in our hands.
This means that the future is a burden on our minds and on our shoulders, because the duty is one, to pass them a country, firm in the principles we believe in, a country that seeks not to be a threat to any other nation, and that actively works for the strengthening of peace in the international sphere. But we also want to see that peace reigns among us. We need to look at the facts of history in their true perspective to appreciate, as we deserve, the development of our people as a sovereign nation.
The common thought, that at the end of the day we all want good for our Malta and its children, is the main foundation that ensures that together we arrive. Let us recognize that from time to time, we have proven that we are capable of being mature, talking together, sifting through each other’s arguments, and struggling to reach what is best for our children and our country. The time has come for the historical events of our country to really, and in a tangible way, really unite us. If this does not happen, we will be missing out on the five national holidays we have. National holidays whose main characteristic is to unite a nation!
The main protagonists of the achievement of independence today have passed on to another life. There is no more room for interpretations that create division among the people when it comes to real appreciation of their achievements.
Every time the representatives of the people in our Chamber of Deputies pass laws, every time on matters that could have started from controversies, but despite this, they managed to reach an agreement to together amend the Constitution to be a better instrument of the leadership, this was an act of the sovereign people. What was not included in the Constitution of Independence in 1964, was included later, during these sixty years, with the exercise of the sovereignty that gave us independence, with mature agreements and compromises.
This is in addition to other instances where, according to need and circumstances, the people’s representatives have legislated to further refine the democratic rights of the same people, and the democratic element in constitutional institutions to better reflect the evolution of widening democracy, and balance between the powers and organs of the State. Laws and legal changes, to be effective, must be acceptable to the people and, in the end, accepted by the people.
Today everyone accepts that Malta is a Republic. Evidence of this is that the controversy that arose regarding the interpretation of how the changes in the Constitution were to be made, when the Chamber of Deputies had before it the bill for Malta from a Monarchy to become a Republic, has today been forgotten. This change was possible because we were a sovereign people.
Also the revision of the Defense Treaty that brought the end of the military base on March 31, 1979 was possible because we were a sovereign people. We also keep in front of our eyes that until independence we only had a Legislative Assembly, and not a Parliament. Let us put the empty controversies behind us.
Enough time has passed for us to grow up. Let us show that we are a mature people, that we feel and bear the responsibility that belongs to each and every one of us that together, we pass on to the children of Malta a better country in all areas, and we also continue to, according to our Constitution, and in the international forums, we continue with the concrete work to sow harmony and peace among the nations.
