Owen Bonnici (Minister for National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government.)
It's been 50 years since Sir Anthony Mamo, a Maltese, one of us, became Head of State. Before, it was a British monarch who held this role. On the 13th of December 1974, that changed, and Malta changed too.
It has been 50 years of change, challenges, progress, and success. 50 extraordinary years. From an economy that relied heavily on the British Empire, today, Malta has the fastest growing economy in the European Union.
Mintoff
There was a time, in the immediate post-war period, when many thought that Malta would never manage to do it alone, that its reliance on the British Empire would spell its ruin once the British left Malta for good.
But there were brave people who thought otherwise and who persuaded the rest to think otherwise too: Dom Mintoff, one of Malta's foremost statesmen, Labour leader and Prime Minister, believed that Malta, on its own, without the need to rely on foreign powers, would succeed and so would its people.
Mintoff encountered every imaginable challenge and obstacle along the way. But he persevered. He believed in Malta, he thought highly of his country, and he let no one pull him or his country down. Geographical size wasn't an issue for Dom. What mattered were the forceful arguments he made in favour of his country and its people who he knew had what it takes to make Malta a success.
Time proved Mintoff right.
The Republic amendments he pushed forward in December 1974 and to which he found an almost unanimous approval in Parliament were a strong feather in his cap. Through them, he "upgraded" the Independence Constitution which was negotiated ten years before by Prime Minister George Borg Olivier and which still had Queen Elizabeth II as its Head of State. This reform, and the successful renegotation of the lease agreement with the British forces, are two huge legacies which this political giant left Malta and sent a tremendous message home that Malta means business.
For more reasons than one, Republic Day is a momentous day in the history of our nation and we ought to celebrate the 50th anniversary with the importance it deserves.
Borg Olivier
Of course, one cannot speak about the path towards freedom from British rule without mentioning the father of Independent Malta, George Borg Olivier.
Of course, Dr Borg Olivier was faced with the reality that 10 years after the hard-fought acquisition of Malta's Independence Constitution, his own party's parliamentary group had actually decided to vote in favour of the constitutional amendments in 1974 which had the main aim of turning Malta from a Monarchy into a Republic.
I have huge respect for Dr Borg Olivier and what he achieved for our country. For me, he stands tall as another one of Malta's finest statesmen which we ever had. However, fate wanted that Dr Borg Olivier would form part of a group of six Nationalist MPs who would vote against the Republic amendments. In fact he, as party leader, had given everyone a free vote since there was no unanimous agreement.
I secretely wish in my heart of hearts that Dr Borg Olivier would have voted in favour of the Republican amendments. But maybe, his vote back 50 years ago is also testament to how much he stuck to his principles and his ideals.
A leader
It's been 50 years of extraordinary success. As I write, Malta is hosting the OSCE Summit as its chair. It is the biggest international political summit ever to be held in Malta.
This year, Malta held the presidency of the United Nations Security Council. A small nation, one of the smallest in size, punching above its weight and leading other nations in the pursuit of peace and stability, in the Mediterranean, Europe, and the wide world.
In the international scene, Malta stands tall. When we speak, other countries, bigger and mightier than us stop and listen.
Malta's neutrality in the past 50 years enabled it to be a bridge builder between nations that went to war. In December 1989, Malta brought together Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the then Soviet Union and George Bush, President of the United States of America and in that wintry evening the cold war that ravaged the world for years was dead and buried in the depths of the Marsaxlokk port.
And today, Malta continues to act as a bridge builder and a staunch advocate for peace in the Middle East - Malta has always and consistently urged for a two-state solution and for a solution to the war in Ukraine that has left thousands of men, women and children dead.
My most sincere congratulations to Prime Minister Robert Abela for the achievements Malta is experiencing in the international sphere under his leadership and to the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ian Borg for being a shining beacon in the Mediterranean of a politician who is fully committed in promoting peace, dialogue and friendship amongst nations.
On its own stead
On the local front, since 1974, Malta witnessed radical changes.
From a country where LGBTIQ+ individuals were imprisoned to a Malta that is a leader in Europe on LGBTIQ+ rights.
Malta, whose economy relied heavily on the British Empire to one whose economy is a leader in the EU.
A country whose health sector was wanting, to say the least, to have a state-of-the-art health sector that is free for all.
Malta, where once few could afford to go to school to a country which pays its students to further their studies and now, following budget 2025, their parents too if their children continue to study.
Malta, whose infrastructure relied heavily on foreign powers to a country that witnessed remarkable changes to its infrastructure.
We have come such a long way.
Next week
Next week, Malta shall be commemorating 50 years since Sir Anthony Mamo became Malta's first President of the Republic.
Nationwide events shall be held in Valletta for this occasion, calls for celebrations and reflection.
We shall collectively reflect on our journey since that fateful evening of the 13th of December 1974 to date. And we shall look forward to and together chart the journey for the next 50 years.
The Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government is supporting these events.
Cribs at the EP
MEP Alex Agius Saliba took the initiative to showcase the beautiful and authentic Maltese crib in Brussels at the European Parliament. As the Ministry for National Heritage, Arts and Local Government, together with the Ministry for Gozo, we supported Alex's brilliant initiative.
I had the pleasure of addressing the opening ceremony at the European Parliament.
In my speech, I recalled how, as a young boy growing up in Zejtun, I used to visit "Mikiel in-Necc's", then an elderly gentleman, makeshift workshop where every year he would build a traditional Maltese crib. In early November, I used to visit his space at one of the local Band Clubs and spend hours watching him making a crib, a large crib I recall, which he would then display with pride in a window overlooking a small and narrow road in our town. To this day, I can still smell the flour glue that he used to apply to hold the crib structure together.
I was fascinated by Mikiel's lovely creations. Mikiel's crib had a grotto where Mary and Joseph, made of wax or clay, tended their newly born Baby Jesus. The crib included a blacksmiths and a carpenter's dwellings, a tavern, and a bakery, too, and a lot of sheep. I was barely 6 years old when I would ask Mikiel to give me one of his sheep each and every time that I visited his workshop.
He would kindly oblige - my father would then return the sheep to Mikiel the next day without me knowing.
Today, 44 years later - I am still fascinated by cribs, and during the Christmas period, I make it a point to visit cribs on show across Malta and Gozo.
Crib building is an art. They are unique, and most of them reflect the Maltese Mediterranean landscape and we consistently support crib building initiatives. There is extraordinary talent in Malta and Gozo in this respect. Despite the advance of technology and artificial intelligence, the crib building tradition was kept alive in Malta. It seems that when it comes to cribs, time has stood still.
Alex had been working on this initiative, together with crib building organisations from Malta, for a long time and in Brussels we proudly inaugurated 25 cribs, two of them depicting the beautiful and traditional Maltese cities of Birgu and Marsa.
Thank you, Alex, the crib organisations and the exceptionally talented Maltese artists for what was an extraordinary event.
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