Ideally, perhaps just ideally, even if many augur it would indeed be the case, this is where we should bid adieu to this Malta in its present format. This is the day when all of us - from top to bottom - can look back at the chequered history of this great tiny island in the middle of the Mediterranean which, often single-handedly, albeit with divine assistance, overcame the odds winning not only accolades, honours and titles but, more importantly, worldwide recognition and admiration.

Before we celebrate the dawn of a new era tonight, it would not be amiss to stop for a moment and reflect on the trials and tribulations of this country and its people.

A series of events - whether brought about on us by design or by chance - and our fortunes and misfortunes have moulded us, the Maltese nation, into what we are today.

As a people, however much divided we may have been at times, verging on civil war in the late 1980s, we still managed, and still do, to band together and emerge victorious. We were always patriotic enough to let common sense prevail, even if on the eleventh hour and at the edge of a precipice.

We learnt to make ends meet and adapt. That is all on the plus sign.

But there were also the minuses. Our geographical location often made us adopt an insular mentality. The long years we spent under foreign rule gave us a sense of false security, a feeling that the "Queen" will look after us and provide for us and, in turn, we did not really have to go for quality and standards and a "make do" culture pervaded every strata of society in all walks of life. Our temperament and parochial attitude made us intolerant and quick to act on the spur of the moment.

Unfortunately, as life continued being good to us we never really realised how far behind we were lagging in comparison with those countries we traditionally had the closest links with: Italy and Great Britain, to mention just two friendly nations.

But that too would change. Our exposure to the "outside" world, whether through direct contact or via the various means of communication, brought us face to face with standards, discipline and excellence, not to mention the benefits of competition and, more recently, the economic effects of globalisation.

Malta and the Maltese people always considered themselves European and, yet, the methods adopted in mainland Europe were more often than not shunned and ridiculed. The result: Protectionism lasted much longer than it should have; indiscipline remained the order of the day; decentralisation was slow and somewhat superficial; personal initiative remained stifled and politicians were still allowed to call the cards, putting their short-term vote-catching interests first.

All that is now set to change. The Maltese people themselves decided it last year, on two occasions, first when they voted for EU membership and then when they endorsed that decision in the general election just over a month later.

And, yet, unless the old ways are going to be buried at sea in the Grand Harbour tonight all that would be pointless, no more than an academic exercise.

That is what the Maltese people and their leaders have to resolve this evening: The past has served us well but the world has changed since and we have to adapt. The chapter ends today and the next must start with a bright new dawn.