The Maltese Parliament turns 90 today. Reflecting on the events that led to the establishment of the first Legislative Assembly in 1921 is all about remembering how hard it was for our forefathers to achieve autonomy.

Malta must, at all costs, become an island of innovation in order to accomplish itself- Owen Bonnici

The brutal Sette Giugno killings of 1919 left their mark on the constitutional history of Malta since, in less than 30 months, a Constitution granting a limited form of self-government by the Maltese for the Maltese was set into place by the British rulers at the time.

Through this Constitution, a bicameral Legislative Assembly to be elected by the Maltese for the Maltese was established, having the power to legislate on local matters. All the other issues, like military and defence, which were deemed by the British government (technically called the Maltese Imperial Government) to be “reserved matters” were out of bounds for the Maltese Legislative Assembly.

It had thus taken the British rulers almost 120 years to deliver, to a markedly limited extent, the promise they had made to the brave authors of the 1802 Declaration of Rights of the Inhabitants of Malta and Gozo and set up a Constitution that gave power to the Maltese to rule themselves under the “protectorate of the British sovereign”.

The Maltese fight for freedom was anything but a free ride. The 1921 Constitution was short-lived – it was suspended nine years afterwards and totally revoked in 1933 – and the Maltese people had to wait for another long 14 years (with a devastating war in between) to have limited self-government restored to them.

In 1958, the Maltese representatives could take it no more. The two brave leaders at the time, Dom Mintoff and George Borg Olivier, unanimously approved the famous Break with Britain resolution and, in less than six years, Malta obtained full constitutional independence.

Within 15 years from the granting of independence, Malta became a republic and oversaw the peaceful termination of all military ties with the British forces.

Malta exercised its independence and freedom and, in a historic decision, decided to share its future and part of its sovereignty with a larger supra-national entity, the European Union, on May 1, 2004.

In the meantime, Malta, through the work of the successive Labour and Nationalist governments, managed to forge a distinct identity in the global sphere. It became a neutral state, actively pursuing peace, holding European values at heart, carving particular economic niches and a trusted friend to the “two civilisations” in the Mediterranean region.

The future is full of hope for Malta. Ninety years ago we were a colony based on a war economy. Through the hard work of the Maltese and Gozitans, by means of our autonomy, we have today carved a unique identity. But now we need to make another step forward, towards accomplishment.

As a young, vibrant and European state, Malta must strive to realise its full potential. We must put aside once and for all the “comfort zone” mentality of “anything goes” and promote, instead, a positive mentality that we, as a country, can make it through hard work and economic growth based on knowledge and creativity.

Malta must, at all costs, become an island of innovation in order to accomplish itself. Research, creativity and knowledge should be the pillars of the economy of the present and future of Malta.

In order to obtain this level of accomplishment, we must radically ameliorate the educational levels of our students and children and look at the system from a totally new perspective.

Although some progress has been registered in the last years, Malta still languishes at the bottom of the EU27 table in terms of early school-leavers, tertiary education graduates, money spent on research as a percentage of the GDP and in students taking the sciences as a career. We need to urgently and drastically change things around.

Achieving a knowledge-based economy through innovation and creativity must at all costs be at the centre of how the government breathes, thinks and works. Only that way can our proud nation build on the autonomy is has worked so hard to obtain and to secure accomplishment on the global sphere.

I am confident that, given the right approach and people, we will undoubtedly make it.

Dr Owen Bonnici is the opposition spokesman for higher education, the University, research and culture and a member of the Foreign and European Affairs Parliamentary Committee.