Thirty years may have passed since Freedom Day was declared by Dom Mintoff's Labour government after the withdrawal of British troops and the Royal Navy from Malta, but there still appears to be no consensus over the significance of the occasion.
The Nationalist Party boycotted celebrations of the occasion on March 31, 1979, stating that the day of freedom dawned on the Maltese people on September 21, 1964 - Independence Day - and they could not participate in festivities held under the wrong label.
Last week, in the countdown to the 30th anniversary of Freedom Day, the Labour Party slammed the government's programme for Tuesday as "an insult to all the Maltese and Gozitan people", saying it wanted to celebrate the anniversary in just 30 minutes.
Labour general secretary Jason Micallef said the government was not only disinterested in the national feast but also wanted to vilify it.
Former The Times news editor John Mizzi did not share Labour's concerns when contacted yesterday. "Freedom from what?" he said.
"It is a waste of time. 'Freedom Day' is an artificial term... it is just a day marking the passing of time when a relationship had run its course. The British could not afford to stay in Malta anyway and they wanted out; it had become inevitable."
However, former journalist and trade union supporter Anton Cassar is in no doubt about the freedom gained on that day.
"Very important parts of Malta, such as the ports and communications, were still in British hands after independence. Before the (British) armed forces left, we did not have true independence.
"What is important is that we achieved our freedom without bloodshed under Mintoff. Many African countries had to face violence when they tried to free themselves from the British and other colonial powers, but we did not," he said.
Mr Cassar has fond memories and spoke with pride about what he saw as Mr Mintoff's efforts to make the country self-sufficient and militarily neutral. He recalled the first Freedom Day as being "a great feast; people were very happy and celebrated with great fervour".
However, Mr Mizzi was not among those celebrating and said the occasion was tinged with sadness after nearly 200 years of a British military presence. He also sees the feast as highly partisan.
"It is significant for the Labour Party, not the nation. It is clear that we are still divided about it," he said.
Mr Cassar agreed that the country was not united in appreciation of the significance of Freedom Day. "If the Nationalist government can only celebrate the anniversary for half an hour, then the Maltese people must be divided," he said.
Comments left by readers on The Times website also show clear divisions, with much discussion focusing on whether Malta was fully independent before the withdrawal of British forces.
The official celebrations on Tuesday start at 9.30 a.m. when the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) band and a Guard of Honour march from Gavino Gulia Square to the Freedom Monument in Vittoriosa.
Mr Cassar is relishing the anniversary. But will Mr Mizzi be celebrating? "Not on your nelly," he said bluntly.