Few images in our collective memory are as vivid and evocative as that of Ġorġ Borg Olivier, wearing his typically faint and knowing smile, raising high the document that made our country independent. Tonight, at the Grand Harbour, we celebrate the 50th anniversary of that historic moment. As one people with one voice. As the nation that was born then.
When Borg Olivier raised the independence document, he raised the entire country with him. For the first time in our chequered history, destiny – our destiny – was in our hands.
What happened half a century ago was a unique national watershed and it remains so today. Unless it loses it, a country gains its independence only once.
I am describing our independence as a watershed with a strong sense of purpose. Because very much like it, independence is not static. It is in constant movement. Gaining independence was a historic moment in time. Yet, it is what we did with it that has made history and, indeed, made us who we are today. With hand on heart, looking back over these five decades, we have a lot to be proud of as a nation.
Fate has granted me the honour to steer a government during a year in which, apart from independence, we celebrate another three national anniversaries. Three dates which show that we have used the independence watershed well.
Becoming a republic was not possible had we not been independent; freedom day would not have dawned without either of them; and we could not be members of the European Union without these three achievements under our belt.
What happened half a century ago was a unique national watershed and it remains so today
I therefore take great pride in our recent history. For all the combative political moments, it is a shining legacy of the wisdom and deep sense of statehood of three political leaders: Borg Olivier, Dom Mintoff and Eddie Fenech Adami.
Living up to this legacy bequeathed by my illustrious predecessors is not easy.
Our task to interpret and, more crucially, take it forward in a new, sometimes treacherous and always globalised world is tough.
Yet, I am determined to lead a government which gets us there.
The way forward is clear to me. For our independence to continue to be fruitful we need to keep reinterpreting its meaning for today and, more importantly, for tomorrow. Independence today is as much about the nation as it is about the forma mentis of each and every one us.
It is only with a deeper independence of mind and spirit that we can grasp to the full the opportunities that lie ahead. It is also this sort of independence that will keep our democracy and its institutions strong and vibrant.
Such thinking inevitably produces more independent and cosmopolitan lifestyles – people who design and live their lives as they see fit, independently of what others think, of tradition.
I am certainly one to embrace such diversity. After all, it is what contemporary Europe has been all about for decades.
There is also a species of independence that is taken for granted by most but which is still, quite literally, the dream of a lifetime for some. To our fellow citizens with a disability, independent living – the ability to enjoy privacy, self-sufficiency and the sheer joy of being just as free as others – is still a goal to be achieved. It is our duty to help them get there as quickly as possible.
If I might be allowed some poetic licence, as a government we are also striving to continue making our country more independent of all forms of discrimination.
Our work in this respect is as much to change laws as it is to change minds.
Finally, turning again to us as a nation, it is incumbent on us to read the signs of the times written on an increasingly globalised and interconnected world, on Europe as much as beyond it.
It is a world in which independence thrives on interdependence, in which our prosperity and liberty grow because we share them with others.
It is a world that offers fantastic opportunities as well as gaping pitfalls in equal measure.
It will only be our wisdom in steering the ship of state on the right course that will make all the difference.
With such a glorious past behind us and a bright future before us, we have every reason to celebrate the 50th anniversary of our independence. And that is exactly what we will all be doing in a few hours at the Grand Harbour.
I sincerely hope that you will join us.