A very interesting debate has developed in this newspaper and several other fora about the controversial subject of Malta’s national day/s. As such, I too would like to make my contribution on this very interesting topic of debate.
Independence was a Maltese achievement and it was the most important event in our history
In 2009, I had already stated in an article in this newspaper that I am of the firm opinion that Independence Day, and Independence Day alone, should be our national day. I still stand by what I had written then and, indeed, subsequent events have strengthened my belief that this is truly the right choice.
Let me start by stating that September 21, 1964 is the most important date in Malta’s chequered history. For several centuries, the Maltese had been under the control of foreign masters and this day brought to an end this long foreign domination of Maltese soil. Furthermore, it laid the basis for all the important achievements that came later. In a short span of 40 years, Malta progressed from a former colony which used to be almost totally dependent on the British in 1964 to a member state of the European Union in 2004 with the power to shape its own destiny as a nation. All this was achieved thanks to Independence Day.
If we examine from a historical viewpoint our five national days, it will immediately become obvious that Independence Day is the central link and the most crucial one in the whole chain.
September 8, 1565 marks a victory in a fight for our very survival as a nation. However, we still remained under the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem. Most of our legitimate rights as a people were still denied to us by our masters.
The Sette Giugno, 1919 was a day when we stood up for our rights against an oppressive colonial administration. We got our autonomy in 1921 as a result of this but, again, this was only the beginning of the road towards our independence.
Independence was followed by the creation of the Republic on December 13, 1974 and the closure of the British military base on March 31, 1979, but would both these achievements have been possible without first obtaining independence? Of course not!
All Maltese who know their history will immediately realise that the road to independence was a long process to which many generations of Maltese, of all shades of political opinion, contributed. In fact, as a history specialist, I find it incredible that in 2013 we are still discussing this issue of which should be our national day/s. Independence satisfies all the criteria for choosing our national day: it was a Maltese achievement and it was the most important event in our history.
Unfortunately, it is the myths that have clouded the issue. It is, therefore, necessary to destroy them once and for all by exposing them for what they really are, i.e. myths and not realities based on facts. Here is a list of the most common myths:
Independence was the work of the Nationalist Party alone (False, the Labour Party also worked hard to obtain it).
The type of independence obtained in 1964 was so defective that it was a farce, “Indipendenza farsa” (False, it was the best that could be obtained in the circumstances, i.e. as things were in 1964).
Choosing Independence Day as the sole national day will cause division among the people due to different political opinions (False, it is only the fanatical minority and the historically uninformed who would react negatively to such a choice).
There has been the suggestion that we should start by first limiting our national days to two. I beg to disagree. I believe that we should immediately go for Independence as our sole national day. This is where I believe that the leadership and initiative of Prime Minister Joseph Muscat could prove to be decisive. With a huge mandate behind him, Muscat can afford to take a worthwhile risk. As a Labour councillor, I know for a fact that there are many in the Labour Party who are open-minded and would welcome the decision to have Independence Day as our sole national day. Having said that, I would also like to state, for the sake of fairness, that this is only my personal opinion.
We have to get rid of what I would call the ‘Mintoff syndrome’. The former Labour leader was a great statesman whom I greatly admire and surely nobody would be foolish enough to question his great contribution to our country’s development. However, even great men have their defects and Dom Mintoff was no exception. The way he belittled Independence does not do credit to his great qualities.
It was uncalled for, in my humble opinion, to try to consign Independence Day to the dustbin of history. In so doing, he denied himself and the Labourites of those days from being given the credit they deserved for their crucial part in obtaining independence.
I also disagree with the idea of having a new national day. While I laud some of the erudite arguments presented, I fear that this would further complicate the issue.
If we really believe in a ‘Malta for all’, then let us make Independence Day our sole national day and let us all celebrate it together, come next September.