On behalf of residents, I would like to encourage the street-naming committee within the Ministry of Home Affairs to revoke the proposal that was made recently by the majority group on the Żebbuġ local council to rename Bishop Caruana Street as Frans Sammut Street.

The only motivation for this plea is the important role Bishop Franġisku Saverju Caruana played in social, religious and cultural developments of Maltese history. He upheld the interests of the Maltese people in the way he could understand them in the context of his time.

Our plea is free from prejudice against the memory of Sammut, an established Maltese author.

I commit myself to explore the most suitable ways of keeping his memory alive.

The ongoing discussion is not a question of the merits but of choice of the street that should bear his name.

The issue under discussion addresses founding episodes of Maltese history, which are part of the collective consciousness of the Maltese people and the ‘collective pride’ of the inhabitants of Żebbuġ who had played a key role in the turn of events headed by the late bishop.

What makes a historical fact is the very nature of the fact itself irrespective of the personality behind it who, like all human beings, might have shown some weaknesses of character. To meddle with historical foundations is regrettable.

A decision that is made in defiance of the residents’ expressed wishes would be lacking in moral legitimacy. The residents against the proposal act as active and responsible citizens with a historical imagination that gives value to the past that shaped the present in view of the future.

The way forward is for interested parties to move on from preaching to dialogue and from perceptions to facts and values.