I could actually feel my ancestors rolling in their graves. It might have been Septimus something something, who lived during the Roman Cauis Verres time, and Angelico de something something who staggered through life under the Feudal Lord Gonslavo Monroe and even Ġanni Vella who rubbed shoulders with Dun Mikiel Scerri and Ġużeppi Caruana who took part in the uprising at Mdina during the Napoleonic era and Peppi who was almost shot on the Sette Guigno 1917, not to mention others.
Why are they tossing around under piles of earth? Why aren't they resting in peace?
How could they, when they see the modern Maltese, cool, laissez- faire, with no pride or guts? How can they, when they see the ideals they fought for trampled under by the molestation of their remembrance?
The new millennium Maltese, who boasts of five, yes five national feasts (no other nation has as many) is still undecided as to which should be the main National Day. It is true that they erected a monument for each and every event - whether the Maltese uprising, the Sette Guingo, the Independence or Jum il-Ħelsien - but they idly bask in the warmth of tranquillity without bothering to look around and see who is desecrating their ilk.
Who has raised a finger or spoke up to grill the policy makers as to why the Sette Guingo monument was moved from its place? Who cares that that monument might be the one that can unite the whole nation to choose one National Day? Where are the protesters, the offspring of those represented by that monument? Where are the demonstrators, the inheritors of the spilled blood of June 1917? Lo and behold if such things happened in France, Italy, Spain, China or the US where the pride of their history still boils and bubbles under their skin.
As for myself, I am moved by the thought of the above - mentioned Cauis, Angelico, Ġanni, Ġużeppi and Peppi, and it urges me to ask those in charge, in their name, why was this monument moved? Is it just because of aesthetics or because of some hidden agenda?
If it is because of the first reason, I am against its removal. Instead I suggest that the Dun Mikiel Scerri monument should be moved from its place and put just opposite of the Sette Guigno monument for balance, austerity and national pride. After all, those two events were the cry and instantaneous reaction of a non-politically motivated uprising for the daily bread and the national entity.
I challenge all Maltese of true faith, whether red, blue, green, black or white, to join into a chorus of protest and demand the restoration of our pride by having this monument (or the set of them) erected back in its original place.