Opposition deputy leader Beppe Fenech Adami yesterday pledged to dedicate all of his energy to his party and his country, after winning his battle with cancer.

“A few weeks ago I was given some news which turned my life upside down... But I vow that when I get through this, I will be back to give all my energy and all of my dedication to this party and this country,” he said, prompting cheers from a crowd of Nationalist supporters.

Dr Fenech Adami was addressing the first in a series of party activities marking the 50th anniversary of Malta’s Independence.

Honestly, I thank you all

His short but heartfelt speech dominated the evenings’ proceedings and was his first public appearance since being diagnosed with cancer seven weeks ago.

Dr Fenech Adami thanked his family, as well as all those around him who had supported him thought his struggle.

“All the prayers that were offered, and all the good wishes I received, helped me through this. Honestly, I thank you all,” he said, prompting yet another outburst of applause, which punctuated nearly every one of his brief sentences.

Visually taken aback by the warm welcome, Dr Fenech Adami sighed heavily as he explained how he had planned for the evening’s festivities, earlier this year, and never imagined he would be talking about his own tribulations rather than those of the country. Dr Fenech Adami has just undergone 25 sessions of intensive treatment in a London hospital after discovering a 15cm malignant tumour on his upper back. He will start a new round of treatment next month.

Beppe Fenech Adami speaking at last night’s Independence activity.

“I will go away for treatment again, but I hope to get better and get stronger,” he said, bringing the crowd to its feet.

The evening took on a Fenech Adami theme, as Dr Fenech Adami’s father, President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami, came up on a large screen as part of a video montage on the island’s independence.

The former prime minister said Malta had remained true to its values throughout its independence and had since forged a strong sense of identity. “The Maltese people have kept alive the values that they hold to be true. They have not been swayed by the outside currents of change but stayed loyal to who they are,” he said on the projector screen, as the party faithful cheered on.

Among the faces in the crowd, nostalgic stares as the video played suggested the same thought: “Those were the good old days.”

The stares, however, quickly changed to enthusiasm as the party supporters burst into applause once more when former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi appeared on the screen. “I am proud of the choices we have made. We, the Nationalist Party, have shaped Malta. We have come so far since independence,” he said.

The evening was rounded off with a few words from Opposition leader Simon Busuttil who also said that the PN had shaped the island’s past and would be active in leading it into the future.

He said that prior to independence Malta was a colony, answerable to the Queen, but had since taken its destiny into its own hands.