Muscat urges national unity
Labour leader Joseph Muscat said this evening at a Freedom Day commemoration that he longed for the day when the Maltese people enjoyed the freedom of having demolished the barriers that divided them.
Speaking at the foot of the freedom monument in Vittoriosa, Dr Muscat said the commemoration of freedom day was still relevant, because it recalled an important day in Malta's history.
He insisted that the Maltese leaders who achieved independence, who made Malta a republic, and led it to freedom, did so for all the Maltese, and the national feasts which marked those events should be feasts which all the Maltese held dear.
Dr Muscat said that the country, as a whole, needed to work so that in seven years' time, when it assumed the presidency of the EU, it would be able to project leadership and vision for the whole EU.
This year's PL Freedom Day event was low key, in view of Holy Week. Instead of the usual mass meeting, those present enjoyed a musico-literary programme focused on Malta's road to freedom.
Dr Muscat then led the Labour leadership in laying flowers on the monument, which recalls the closure of the British military base on March 31, 1979.
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Jennifer Cosaitis
Mar 31st 2010, 15:54
U hallina Joe...pull the other one !!
Steve Evans
Mar 31st 2010, 15:52
31 years since the departure of British Forces from these islands and still you cannot agree on anything, but at least you can be thankful for yet another public holiday in your eventful calender.
J Abela
Mar 31st 2010, 15:47
He talks like Mintoff..oh sorry! I meant 'is -Salvatur'
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 15:10
2.
weapons fell on board a destroyer while it was going out of port and another accident the details of which presently escapes me. That is the danger to which we are being exposed, for even if there is an accident where nuclear material is discharged or spilled, let alone a nuclear explosion, the Maltese islands may become uninhabitable for hundreds of years apart from the effects of radiation on the population.
This is the situation that the present obsequious government has brought us all into to follow the eu and NATO's diktat through NATO's PfP.
laurence schembri
Mar 31st 2010, 12:35
Gianninu, keep quiet, get a life.
Jesmond Micallef
Mar 31st 2010, 12:25
Igalea, I "appreciate" your stand.
There is maybe a "truth" in what you say that Malta is now an EU "colony",but all EU countries are EU "colonies". I think, as an Institution the EU has its pros and cons just like any other membership. I pay to become a member in a club, but in return I get to meet people, attend meetings, receive literature, exchange ideas, learn........etc etc etc....... A serious club has its own statute, member obligations, rights and freedoms, rules of conduct etc etc etc.....
I do have my own reservations such as the Eurozone within the EU. To me its very simple, the Eurozone should be throughout all EU member states. Furthermore, all nuclear weaponry should also be removed from within EU territory, and banned from all EU states.
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 15:03
Dear Jesmond, all nuclear weapons should and must be eliminated form the whole world. As long as one country has them many others will seek to get them as security. During the cold war there was the aptly named MAD Mutually Assured Destruction) principle where every side increased its nuclear arsenal to serve as a deterrent that if one side attacked, the other side would assure its destruction. That was not only madness as both sides had enough nuclear power to destroy the whole world a hundred times over, but certainly no longer applies as can be seen by the 9/11 attacks, the attacks in Chechnya, this week's Moscow attacks and today's attacks in Dagestan. What we are inviting with NATO and other warships in our ports is a retaliatory attack from any group that feels that they or their country have been targeted by NATO and the others, and there are a lot of them throughout the world, that could lead to the end of Malta since the warships may, no certainly are, carrying nuclear weapons. We already had two cases way back when it became known that we were saved from an accidental nuclear disaster when nuclear
s fenech
Mar 31st 2010, 12:13
the real freedom day was in may 1987 when when we finally got rid of the socialists that had turned malta into another cuba!
G. Mangion
Mar 31st 2010, 11:08
March 31, 1979 : freedom day from whom ? SURELY not the mlp Regime of the 70's & 80's
get life.
Lawrence Martinelli
Mar 31st 2010, 10:47
I know some people may think I am in " Cukoo - Land " but in my youth
I felt "much" freer with the Union Jack : So did my fellow Merchant seamen
Gouder , Tonna & others ( hope they all are still alive ) ;
I see in the background Mr. Muscat has the EU flag....." Freedom Day " ? :
Looks more like " Puppet Day ".
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 11:12
The eu flag is only the flag of the colonialist dictatorship that Malta and the Maltese people have been led into. It is NOT my flag and I despise it as much as I despise the eu and its petty dictators and its Quislings.
I Abela
Mar 31st 2010, 10:37
@ All those who only remember part of the story. Being independent is one thing. But being free is a completely different thing. We became independent on Sept 21 st 1964, that's very true, but be honest with yourselves (and us) and tell us how many of you were playing golf at Marsa before 31/03/1979? How many times did you swim at Manoel Island before 31/03/1979? How many times have you been to Fort Mosta before 31/03/1979 etc etc etc. Fact is that before 31/03/1979 half the country was out of bounds for the Maltese population. So there is fair reason to celebrate Freedom Day as much as Independence Day.
joe scerri
Mar 31st 2010, 10:24
Judging from the comments it seems we are very far from any national unity.
s fenech
Mar 31st 2010, 10:24
"muscat urges national unity"...yes and in the meantime his 'ethically charged 'press & tv continues to spew hatred amongst us all. recall the recent demo in valletta, another libel suit just lost, and the labour youth forum and one of the party executives putting up hate web sites against a journalist. why don't you pull the other foot muscat!
A. Busuttil
Mar 31st 2010, 10:08
your attitude is of sour grapes. You all know that Joseph is making a change. But you don't want that PL change, because otherwise you will not have a political issue . You never mention the 60's, you never mention bombs in 70's. Your problem is that you are chained to the past. Gonzi PN wants you to be chained to the past otherwise he has nothing to talk about. Unchane yourself and look forward.
L.Grech
Mar 31st 2010, 09:44
I expected Dr Muscat to at least mention the mission involving Maltese soldiers in Somalia and the US ambassador's attack on Malta's Neutrality. A low key event indeed!
Andrew Gatt
Mar 31st 2010, 09:26
Urging National unity means urging everyone that Malta became an Independent state on September 21 st 1964. Whatever followed ( which also should be respected ) was the result of that date ! Insisting that Sept 21 st 1964 and March 31st 1979 are equal is definitely not the case ! NO DOUBT ABOUT IT !
g.c.Forte
Mar 31st 2010, 10:20
Independent = not ruled by anyone else. Can somebody explain to me that after the 24 Sept 1964, I was still serving in the British Forces and my Head of state was the queen of England and the Union Jack was equivalent to the Maltese flag, in MALTA up to the 70`s ?
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 10:25
Agree Mr Gatt. Independence was only on paper. The British Government kept everything it had before and more. Notwithstanding that we also had the NATO Headquarters in Floriana, Dr Borg Olivier did not have the guts to send them packing when they turned his request for membership and did not even want to consider Malta to have an observer status. Mintoff had the guts and forthwith kicked out Admiral Gino Birindelli and NATO.
Freedom day, 31 March 1979, is the greatest day because it saw the end of the British foreign military base. Malta could at last rest assured that we were no longer an attraction for any military retaliation against the British military base for their interference in other countries internal affairs as they had done so many times before, including the Sues invasion from Malta.
That is why the two dates are not the same. With Independence we effectively remained a colony while the British government keeping everything it had before and more while shirking its financial responsibility. Freedom Day is much more significant because the British government had paid for us to be in a better financial position to terminate the British military base.
g.c.Forte
Mar 31st 2010, 09:05
Dr. Muscat wants us to praise those political leaders whom brought " Independence " ( Dr Gorg Borg Olivier ) " Republic " and " Freedom " ( Dom Mintoff ). Yes that is what we should do, praise these Historical politicians. But shall we praise the one who threw all these away and amalgamated us again with other counties, as a union ? Please do not tell me that this is something else, because once you do what somebody else tells you, it is not called Freedom. Mr. Edwin Vassallo knows what I mean.
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 10:13
Totally agree with you. I shall NEVER forget or forgive those who took away my freedom and whatever I have worked for all my life to make Malta, my dear country, and myself free from foreign rule and domination. They made us again a foreigners colony, this time of the hated and despotic eu that is destroying everything that we had. I shall always hold them in contempt.
J Cilia
Mar 31st 2010, 07:54
Pompous and staged.
Eric Gahn
Mar 31st 2010, 07:36
Independent and Free. Two words which no longer count to their full extent. We are now bound to Europe. I am not saying this is bad. I am saying that we cannot keep waving the old flags.
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 10:28
Agree with you Gahn. We have again been made a foreigners colony of the hated despotic colonialist eu. But whatever the political leaders decide I and others shall continue working to again free Malta from the eu colonialist clutches and again enjoy independence and freedom form foreigners rule.
Grazio Grixti
Mar 31st 2010, 06:00
Joseph, you are a great person and a great leader - that 's the proper way to join ONE nation together by appretiating Independence, Freedom Day and Republic Day! - We love them all. Dr. Gonzi did an irriversible foul when he said that Indipendence must be the only National Day - he excluded more than half the nation.
I also dream to become ONE nation to be proud to be Maltese and not to be demoralised because of your belefs. At the moment we don't have complete freedom of expression - half the nation don't feel that Malta belongs to them and their families too...
May great leaders share the same dream!!!
Wish pace and love to EVERYONE!!!
Mario Dimech
Mar 30th 2010, 21:57
Malta is far from being independent as it is in debt up to the eyeballs and a member of the EU.
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 10:31
You are right Mr Dimech. That's why everyone should work to get rid of the eu colonialism and make Mata again a really Independent and Free country from the eu colonialist dictatorship. Those who betrayed us and sold us into the eu slavery are traitors like Judas. Those who accept the eu colonialist are Quislings.
Jesmond Micallef
Mar 30th 2010, 21:09
I am proud that Malta is an independent country. The times when the Maltese had to earn their living by being of service to a military might are over. The days of Malta being a subordinate to its colonial ruler are over, thats forsure. That, I am also very proud of.
God Bless the Maltese islands.
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 10:34
Dear Jesmond, you must be living in a dream. We are no longer Independent and Free. We have again been made a foreigners colony. An eu colony. We have NATO and foreign military ships in our harbours as magnets for retaliation for their countries interference in other countries internal affairs, for illegal wars and invasions. Calling us and Malta Independent and Free is a total illusion as long as we remain an eu colony.
Gianninu Saliba
Mar 30th 2010, 20:49
Another U turn for Joseph. Yes, it was only this time last year that he said that he would be happy if Malta had one National Day. Now he wants two of his Party's 'achievements" and the PN's greatest achievement to be treated at the same level. Dr. Muscat let me give you a lesson in history. Your Party wanted integration with Britain, your Party's supporters were more loyal to the British crown than any Englishman. So the Nationalist Government of the time, the same government that your precious Dom used to refer as Italian Fascists, did not want to hurt your Party's supporters even more. Independence was more than most of the MLP followers could accept (they still longed Malta to be just another British county). So Dr. Borg Olivier did not want to add insult to injury and have a republican constitution and thus do away with the queen. That's the first lesson, the second is that in 1964 the whole world (at the UN headquarters) recognized the fact that Malta became a free independent country. Dr. Muscat on 21 September 1964 your parents became Maltese. Be proud.
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 10:43
Gianninu, the PN NEVER wanted Malta to be independent. It always wanted Malta to be an Italian province. Witness the fight for Italian to be the language of Malta and the Maltese language relegated to the kitchen as they used to say. When Labour wanted integration with Britain they wanted the same rights as the British citizens in the UK. Equal RIGHTS Gianninu. When it was not accepted Labour sought REAL INDEPENDENCE, not like the 1964 (In)dependence where the British Government kept everything it had before and more because while shirking its financial obligations. Malta only got Independence (on paper) because the Bankrupt British government wanted to get rid of its financial responsibility and when Dr Borg Olivier asked whether they wanted him to ask for Independence the British Government immediately said yes. So much so that Dr Borg Olivier did not return to Malta because he did not want to tell the people that he had asked for independence that was being fought for by Labour, but went to Ghana for their independence celebrations and when he came back told the people to ask for Uhuru (Independence). That is history Gianninu and no use denying it.
vir vella
Mar 30th 2010, 20:46
This non event fascinates mehow it is considered such an important day, do we consider that the british would have left the island in 1974 had Mintoff not extended thier stay on the island? but he was not ready yet so he extended the lease of the island till 1979, then lo and behold he declared thier departure as a day of freedom.Freedom from what? whose freedom if not the clique around the ministers to do what they like with total impunity of the law, freedom to be corrupt, ruin the islands economy and to make it worse steal our freedom.
lgalea
Mar 31st 2010, 10:47
Vella, you posting is totally the opposite of what had happened. Mintoff extended the lease at far greater income for Malta to be able to stand on its own feet without the need for any foreign military base because your PN government had left Malta bankrupt in 1971. There was not even enough money in Malta's coffer to pay the government employees Vella. As for corruption and ruining the Maltese economy, as the Maltese saying goes, il-kabura milli jkollha taghtik.
J. Schembri
Mar 30th 2010, 20:36
Was Dom Mintoff invited for this 'event'?