Awards and honours

It was with great pleasure that I learnt about the government's plans to expand the number of recipients in the Order of Merit. I was also impressed by the contributions of the various speakers in Parliament.

This year happens to be the 40th anniversary from the first National Medal of Merit awards that had been established by the Confederation of Civic Councils.

The late Hon. Mr Justice Prof. John J. Cremona and I had worked very hard to ensure that after Independence, Malta would have its own awards scheme. The present system is the natural successor of that award.

I am currently working on a study of the development of awards in Malta and hope to present it to the media in advance of the 40th Anniversary that falls on September 21. The first awards were bestowed in 1968.

Some of the recipients do not require any introduction. These include: Prof. Joseph E. Debono CBE, MD, FRCP; Mgr Michael Azzopardi; His Lordship Bishop E. Galea; Chev E.V. Cremona; and other noteworthy personalities. Two years ago, I wrote to the Selection Committee recommending that the 11 recipients (three of whom had later been included in the Order of Merit) should be included in the roll of honour. The reply from the Committee stated that the awards cannot be given posthumously, even though some of them are still alive.

During the debate in Parliament it was declared that posthumous awards are possible. Even if there are some hurdles, this is the ideal time that Parliament considers a slight amendment to include the 11 recipients on an ad hoc and honorary basis. I am sure that everyone will agree that all they had given ample valuable service to Malta.

The most important aspect is that they be included in the Roll of Honour.

It is not the medal as such that is of importance but that their names be forever inscribed and remembered for the service they had provided.

Further details can be obtained from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Medal_of_Merit_%28Malta%29.