John Mizzi (October 13) is completely incorrect about the George Cross on the national flag.

Maybe he had not yet seen the warrant issued by George VI.

Mr Mizzi stated that it was a local formality, in the wake of a resolution passed by the Maltese Council of Government, for the George Cross to be incorporated in the national flag, which, according to him, was put wrongly on a blue background against all the rules of heraldry and this was corrected after Independence.

There is no document that refers to the resolution by the Council of Government providing for the cross to be included in the national flag.

In fact, it had been George VI who ordered that a representation of the George Cross on a canton azure should appear on seals, shields and banners according to the laws of Malta.

With regard to the blue background, the significance of the azure that was used was that Malta was a British colony. It is not true that on the attainment of independence the flag was corrected to what it is today.

It was obvious that the George Cross was retained on the national flag as a matter of convenience by the government of the day.

When the republican constitution was being debated in 1974, the Prime Minister of the time, Dom Mintoff, did not have the guts to suggest the removal of the George Cross from the flag.

In a speech in Parliament on March 4, 1980, Mintoff had said the following: “If Britain continues to play such games, we will remove the George Cross from the Maltese flag.”

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