Symbol of freedom and liberty

Count Roger gave us our flag. The Maltese were proud of it. It was a sign of friendship, loyalty, bravery and peace. The Maltese placed their flag up high and also demonstrated it next to all other official flags, even when the Order of St John took over our island. Our flag was given to us white and red. This is the original flag that was hailed by all Maltese so many hundreds of years ago.

Other symbols of our great history, such as the eight pointed cross of the Knights, was not worthy enough to be displayed on to our white and red banner, therefore it was (and still is) displayed separately on various occasions. Until the award of the George Cross, our flag was always white and red. Comparatively it has only been displayed with the George Cross for a few years. The George Cross is a symbol of a foreign power and has no place on a national flag.

If some people want to display it separately, as is done with the eight pointed cross of the Knights and so many other flag formations, they should be free to do so. The George Cross is a war medal, a sign of Maltese bravery under British rule. Its place is in the War Museum and on history books. It symbolises times which must not be forgotten, not to repeat themselves.

Other contributors to this argument stated that other countries have symbols of present or former colonisers. Is that something to be proud of? Is this what we compare ourselves to? Having such an old story and such a long history, our white and red flag is a sign of who we were, where we came from. It speaks for Malta's long civilisation. That is something to be proud of.

The issue is not a political one. It is not about whether the British were good or bad.

Whatever they were, they made and treated us as their subjects. Our flag therefore must be a symbol of freedom and liberty and not one that reminds us constantly of former rule and oppression. We have a mentality that unfortunately reminds us of that!