Saturday, 8th August 2009
In Remembrance
During the Santa Marija festive period, I believe that it is worthwhile to remember those who fell in the struggle to preserve democracy during the Second World War as well as Malta's contribution to the Allied cause and the sacrifices endured by the whole Maltese nation. Indeed, had it not been for the Santa Marija Convoy, Malta would undoubtedly have fallen to the armed forces of the totalitarian dictatorships and the course of history might have been somewhat different for Malta and the Maltese.
I feel that it is a pity that many Maltese youths today seem to show little interest in what the Maltese nation endured during the Second World War. As a socialist, I also believe that a more critical account of these important events should be written by future Maltese historians.
Malta became involved in the Second World War when the Fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, declared war on Great Britain and France on 10th June, 1940. Malta at the time formed part of the British Empire and the Maltese found themselves embroiled in the war, whether they liked it or not, as they had no say in the matter.
Malta's role in the Second World War was very important because it lay astride the sea routes used by the Germans and Italians to supply and reinforce their military forces fighting in the North African Campaign. Attacking forces based on Malta wreaked havoc on the sea lanes used by enemy troopships, merchant ships and oil tankers. This meant that the German Afrika Korps and the Italian Army in North Africa were deprived of vital material resources as well as troop reinforcements.
The result of all this was that the Maltese had to endure the full brunt of aerial bombing attacks by units of the Italian and German Air Forces. The civilian population had to go through the purgatory of long periods of time spent in shelters, total disruption of everyday life, acute shortages of food and daily essentials, plus the threat of death at any moment. In April, 1942 alone, 6,700 tons of bombs were dropped on the Maltese Islands, making them the most bombed place on earth at the time.
As I mentioned above, I feel that historians should place more emphasis on the social and political aspects of the Second World War in Malta. How many Maltese today know that wartime Maltese soldiers were paid less than their British counterparts? How many Maltese today know that the female nurses who tended the wounded were not entitled to vote and that they voted for the first time in 1947 due to the efforts of the Labour Party? How many Maltese today know that, under the British, several people were reduced to the humiliation of having to eat "gaxin", the leftovers from the food plates of the British Services?
Yes, let us remember the sacrifices of the Maltese people in the Second World War but let us also put these events in their proper context. Let us not glorify the military events as if they were divorced from the political and social events which occurred simultaneously. Let us not celebrate the award of the George Cross in April, 1942 without also recollecting the injustice of having thousands of Maltese forced to emigrate in the post-1945 years because the British did little to ameliorate the socio-economic lot of the Maltese after all the sacrifices the latter had been forced to endure during the Second World War.
Let us remember the work of the first Labour Government of 1947-50 which ensured that the political and socio-economic situation of Malta during the Second World War would forever be a thing of the past.
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Comments
Like pointing a gun at a fiancee's head - either we marry or we end it here!
Gun diplomacy is a dogmatic fool's ploy - ala Mintoff, my way or the highway! Some statesmanship!
With all his statesmanship it had to be GBO who got us Independence, EFA who got us in the EU and Gonzi who changed our currency to a world standard euro. Where was the MLP in all this? - Opposing, misinforming and looking with envy at those bunches of grapes and any time they jumped to reach and failed, they declared them sour!
Hallina nghixu Charles.
A few pertinent questions:
1. Who asked Britain for protection in 1798? Was it a wrong decision, or a providential one?
2. Would protection from Italy been preferred in 1798? (You thank God for not becoming part of Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands etc., remember?)
3. You accuse Nerik Mizzi of wanting to integrate Malta to Italy? You might as well describe Mizzi as a madman since the Nationalist Party had always embraced the idea of Dominion Status even before Mintoff was born. Incidentally, Canada enjoyed Dominion Status up until 1982 when the British North America Act was repatriated. Unlike Malta, Canada has an 'amended' BNA act as its Constitution - never bothered to write one,
4. "Integration with Britain or Self Determination campaign..." This illustrates that the MLP never had a vision. Either surrender our nationhood (for cash) or give us Independence (without a Financial Treaty as proven by events of 1978). Some choice! Jekk mhux hmar - felu.
Those who decided to ask Britain for 'protection' were as right in making that decision as they would have if hypothetically they asked Italy (or some other country).
Today we would be debating the 1798 decision anyway.
A bit of research turned out the following:
"Sequestration has fallen so far out of favor that judges rarely bother anymore" - .Brendan I. Koerner (2003) -American
"Jury sequestration is rare. Typically ordered in sensational, high-profile criminal cases, sequestration begins immediately after the jury is seated" - West's Encyclopedia of American Law.
" Prior to enactment of the 1995 legislation, New York mandated sequestration of deliberating jurors in all criminal trials. Although virtually every other jurisdiction in the nation had rejected mandatory sequestration" - HON. JONATHAN LIPPMAN, Chief Admin.Judge NY
"The jury in Scott Peterson's upcoming double murder trial will not be sequestered, the judge ruled Thursday, saying the only way to stop jurors from hearing or seeing any publicity about the case would be "if we parked them on Mars." San Jose' News (2004)
Malta and a few others excepted.
Having said that I wouldn’t put it past Mintoff to have entertain such a thought, Mintoff would explore any possibility and who can find anything wrong with that? If the Italian anecdote has a leg to stand on it would demonstrate that Mintoff, while assessing the situation, realised that the idea wasn’t viable and stopped there. That presents a sharp contrast with Nerik Mizzi who, no matter what, pressed on regardless to see the crazy idea arrive to fruition. And we were only saved by the bell, the WW II Victory bell.
Having stated my case, I still think that the Man had Malta’s interest at heart however his philosophy moved diametrically opposite to mine. May he rest in peace, he was a good family man.
“The quote from Henry Frendo's book reads something quite similar to Mintoff's attempt at integrating us with Britain in the late 50s - early 60s.”
The Integration with Britain or Self Determination campaign ended prior to 26 April 1958 when the slogan ’Pay up or go home’ was launched. 1 May 1958 saw the banner ‘Malta wants Independence’ for the first time in our history and brandished by the Labour supporters while being ridiculed by the PN and its supporters.
Late 50s and early 60s saw Agatha Barbara, Bertu Hyzler, Patrick Holland and other PL heroes going to prison while your lot were sipping Gin with the British and NATO top brass at the HAFMED in Floriana.
Need to brush up on your history Joe or just keep quiet and listen.
In 1912 the future of Italy's politics was unknown to Enrico Mizzi however when Italy became a totalitarian and violent state to see Benito Mussolini feeding castor oil to his political prisoners and embracing Adolf Hitler after he ordered the extermination of the Jewish race, your protégée still paraded in a black shirt. And come to think of it, the colour black is still cherished by his present followers. Suggest you do some more research like you did after you were proved wrong in the jury issue.
As to Integration with Great Britain,my regret is that it never happened and I will never forgive Sir Michael Gonzi for that.
Are we related? My roots are in Gozo and my paternal grandmother was also Attard. Look me up on Face book.
Next time you are wasting some time with De Martino you should mention that if Mizzi had luck on his side and got his way Malta would have become part of Italy 97 years ago, fought a war against freedom in 1940s and lost it.
De Martino, on second thought, would not be interested as he doesn’t like to analyse the PN’s past so you’ll be wasting your time as I keep telling you.
When Integration did not materialize, Labour went for Independence. In fact, Independence came thanks to the efforts of both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party. That the PN was solely responsible for obtaining Independence is one of the biggest myths created by the Nationalists to suit their own narrow partisan political interests.
The quote from Henry Frendo's book reads something quite similar to Mintoff's attempt at integrating us with Britain in the late 50s - early 60s.
Mintoff wanted to integrate us with a nation whose culture is vastly different from Malta's and Italy's Mediterranean culture with fewer representatives in the House of Commons.
In 1912 the future of Italy's politics was as much unknown to Enrico Mizzi as the totalitarian and violent politics of Mintoff were to the Maltese before electing him in 1971.
The difference between Mizzi and Mintoff is that while the former proposed an Italy-Malta Federation with rights to the British Navy to 'have access to Maltese harbours and facilities', meaning revenue to Malta for services provided to the RN, Mintoff refused to renew a Defence Treaty with Britain (already in place) and kicked the British forces out leaving Malta in the lurch. His explanation? Malta was to become neutral, as if, Malta was no longer vulnerable to foreign occupation as much as it was in 1912 or 1565!
You managed to provoke me to break my silence.
The Blue Sisters were never expelled to leave, the nuns were working without a residence and working permit but that story is much more complex than that. Read ‘Malta in the Making’ by Edgar Mizzi pages 337- 348 and you will learn the facts. Cardinal Silvestrini never contradicted Mintoff about the issue so much so that he (Silvestrini) tried to find another religious order to replace the Blue Sisters under the same arrangements that were being suggested by the Government.
You also keep on about the suspension of the Constitutional Court, time to put your money where your mouth is- tell us from when and until when and the reason why that court was suspended.
I had dealt with you numerous times on the other items and I do not intend to repeat myself. Just take me up on the Blue Sisters and the Constitutional Court and carry on with your mission with the other contributors,they seem to be enjoying themselves.
Get to the point otherwise you will not find me.
“1912: Dr. Enrico Mizzi, a staunch supporter of the italianità of Malta, proposes in a journal article that Britain could exchange Malta for Eritrea with Italy, on the understanding that Britain would be granted access to Maltese harbours and facilities. The article proposes an Italo-Maltese federation, with elected Maltese representatives in the Italian parliament.[14]”
The added bonus, of course is, that we did not have to travel to Spain to witness all this.
Believe it or not, it all happened under our very noses in Malta.
Be proud Joseph! Pity that all this does not seem to hurt your conscience one wee bit.
I bet you all were dancing at the occupation of Madrid!!
Quoting Ganado doesn't mean that what he 'missed' didn't take place!!
You mention the 50s and 60s thus, "Why else would thousands of Maltese were leaving Malta to places like Canada, Australia and the USA? "
Lack of jobs during Socialist times was the main reason and it took well into the 60s to turn things around. But even so, the 70s and 80s were no hell either since Dejmas an Pijunieri and eve of election mass employment were the only solutions the Socialists had.
So, don't blame the employment crisis and mass emigration to anyone else other than the lack of vision by the Socialist regime.
Compare to the flourishing industries Malta has today. The list is too comprehensive but suffice it is to mention a couple like pharma industries and Lufthansa Technik. Today the numbers of employed is the largest ever.
While you boast of labour achievements (nothing wrong with that) please remember that Nationalist governments, not only did not fear unemployment, but instead provided dual citizenship to Maltese born, living abroad, and their children whether born in Malta or not, and a Maltese Passport to boot. This gives the likes of a younger me, the right of residence in Malta and employment throughout Europe without restrictions.
The reason why the Opera House remained unreconstructed after the war is that there were elements in Malta who opposed its reconstruction using German P.O.W labour.
know who wanted to cede Malta to Italy. You will learn too who opposed the Enflich Language and started a “language war” in Malta, that dragged on for so many years. You should also learn who in Malta was overjoyed when Mussolini’s friends entered Madrid!
Should I spoon-feed you more about the ‘black past’ of your beloved party?
Finally, the wounds Malta received when it was dragged into the Second World war
are still wide open! The Opera House is one of these open wounds!
I hope you haven't held your breath!
Don't expect an answer to your questions any time soon especially to the one about Mintoff wanting to integrate us to our 'colonializers'.
Remember "British go home!"? Remember 'Jum il-Helsien'?
The MLP never had a clear plan and they still don't have one. They treat Malta like a kite. Fly it in the direction of the prevailing wind! Today Integration, tomorrow Independence. Yesterday anti-EU - today, well, it's OK. They are so dependable - so trustworthy.
I don’t remember the war but I do remember people eating ‘Guxin’, I am talking about the 50s and the early 60s when street hawkers were still selling it at Ghajn Dwieli and Piazza Gavinu Gulia in Cospicua to Dockyard workers. I also know of Police ranking officers who used to buy that horrendous stuff at Floriana.
I was born and raised at Mellieha where military installations like Forth Campbell, Ghajn Tuffieha and Ghadira were still fully operational in my childhood days and I have a clear memory of what ‘gaxin’ was all about. Anybody can still go to what is now left of Fort Campbell and see the rubbish shoots in the old mess where the solders used to empty their leftovers before washing their mess tins and their plates. And that rubbish was partly fed to pigs and the better rubbish was sold as ‘gaxin’ for people to eat. Why else would thousands of Maltese were leaving Malta to places like Canada, Australia and the USA?
Anke fatti bhal dawn tippruvaw tmeru!
Des, and my point is that since providence had then intended us to suffer colonialism we must thank God that the Colonialists were the British, not the Italians, the Portuguese, the Dutch or any other European State. We contributed a lot to the British Empire but we have to be true to ourselves and admit that ‘l-Inglizi’ treated us reasonably good and the scars of the colonial years had healed very well. This coming from an old Independence Crusaders, accounts to a lot.
Please don't take advantage of the younger generation by not explaining words like "GAXIN" since they were not around during the war years. Perhaps you too have a misconception of the word 'GAXIN'.
It so happens that some 'elite' referred to 'gaxin' as some gruel fit only for paupers and mendicants. The 'elite' were no more than a few 'privileged ones' who either could afford black market prices for food or were employed by entities who supplied food for the armed forces including British establishments (such as NAAFI) who had access to odds and ends when an opportunity arose. All was done, of course, in the name of survival.
But going back to the word 'GAXIN' - DZM, have you ever eaten 'leftovers'? Or are you part of the elite who throw away anything left after a meal? In which case, you don't really care about the definition of 'Gaxin'.
Gaxin were the leftovers in the galleys, of food of generally higher quality served to Navy personnel and instead of throwing it overboard, as was the custom at the time, was given free to civilians who risked life and limb to get it.
Continued
It is not true to say, therefore that gaxin was food leftover on the plates of service personnel. For one thing, it was highly improbable that they would be served any more than they could eat or that they would not 'polish' their plate of what was served to them. There would have been very little if any, to be given away.
The practice of obtaining gaxin was no more a humiliating experience than eating domestic pets (some claim that eating dog meat was a not so rare a practice) or risk starving to death!
"Dom Mintoff continued the work started by Paul Boffa which led to the creation of the Welfare State in Malta", If this comment is aimed at what I wrote, where is the problem? That's exactly what I wrote since Boffa was not around in the 70s and 80s. Yes, Boffa not Mintoff was the one who got the ball rolling on Social Services. Mintoff ousted Boffa and got all the credit.
So, there you are DZM, know the facts before attempting to fool the greenhorns.
Blinkers, blinkers. Oh, how I love blinkers. However the mess officers and their local contractors laughed all the way to the bank. And our local politicos laughed all their way to the top on fairytales! And they still do on the chips they implanted on the shoulders of the likes of......
"So much for the voters’ judgmental brain power". - Charles J Buttigieg quotes.
What's the Maltese secret of rehabilitating someone in such a short time?
Maybe there is still hope of rehabilitating Labour supporters, after all Nerik Mizzi became PM five years after repatriation, while it's been 22 years (less 22 months) since the MLP has been in power and since has been 'confined' to the Opposition benches.
As to "So much for the voters’ judgmental brain power", may I use the same reasoning for the June 6 MEP and LC elections?
‘Gaxin’was a mix of food left-over disposed of by the Military in large rusty lard bins and sold to ‘Tal Gaxin’ for the presumed purpose of being fed to pigs. The leftover was not separated and fried eggs, bacon, baked beans, fish, custard and apple pies went in the same mixture. This went on well after the war and the people were so undernourished that they used to buy portions for cheap to feed themselves and their families. The system was so rampant that people saw nothing humiliating in it. That was a reality and not post war propaganda.
On the subject of Labour Governments of the past, Dom Mintoff continued the work started by Paul Boffa which led to the creation of the Welfare State in Malta. I never said that what happened in the 70s and 80s has no relevance today. What I said in other writings of mine was that Nationalist Party apologists should stop trying to deviate discussions about today's bleak socio-economic situation in Malta by mentioning the political violence of the past. It is ridiculous to counter statistics about unemployment, inflation and the deficit today by mentioning political violence in the seventies and eighties.
On the subject of Malta's involvement in the Second World War, the point is that, being part of the British Empire, Malta was bound to get involved in all wars which Great Britain fought, at a great cost to the Maltese.
An excerpt from Mussolini’s Speech of the 10 June 1940, Declaration of War on France and England
Delivered 6:00 PM from his balcony in the Palazzo Venetia in Rome
Soldiers, sailors, and aviators! Black shirts of the revolution and of the [Fascist] legions! Men and women of Italy, of the Empire, and of the kingdom of Albania! Pay heed!
An hour appointed by destiny has struck in the heavens of our fatherland. (Very lively cheers).
The declaration of war has already been delivered (cheers, very loud cries of “War! War!”) to the ambassadors of Great Britain and France. We go to battle against the plutocratic and reactionary
Democracies of the west that, at every moment have hindered the advance and have often endangered the very existence of the Italian people.
@ DZM. Part One.
Des, Malta became involved in the Second World War when the Fascist dictator, Benito Mussolini, declared war on Great Britain and France on 10th June, 1940.to gain world supremacy. I agree wholeheartedly with Dr. Saliba in that if Malta did not form part of the British Empire or any other power we would have still found ourselves embroiled in the war, whether we liked it or not. Without Britain’s presence here, the Italians would have engulfed us on 11 June 1940.
It is acknowledge that Malta was very instrumental to help Britain win the war but can we deny that Britain and its Allies saved us from the scourge of Fascism and Nazism?
The way we were treated as a colony after the war is a different story altogether.
One document had a totally illegible signature, whilst the other’s signature seemed to read Luigi Pedley. All three documents were typewritten.
The inference was clear. Enrico Mizzi’s Malta was partly owned, from July 1937 onwards, by the Italian Fascist Government, and also partly subsidised by it. These and other accusations were [p.98] later levelled publicly at Mizzi by an ex-internee, Emmanuele Cossai, during the 1947 election campaign.” Unquote.
The ex Italian Fascist regime would have looked utterly ridiculous had it named a street and erected a monument in Rome for Gerald Strickland and declared him a Patriota but they felt quite justified to bestow those honours to Enrico Mizzi.
An excerpt from (p.093) Enrico Mizzi’s Political Integrity by Joseph M Pirotta.
Quote. “Mizzi had also learned what the documents contained. During the meeting of the Executive Committee of the Nationalist Party, held on 14 May 1946, the Nationalist leader gave a full account of the contents of these documents. [11] The first, dated 16 March 1939, bore the signature of Dr Alberto Hamilton Stilon—on behalf of the administration of the newspaper Malta. [12] It acknowledged receipt of £128 from the Ministero della Coltura Popolare for subscriptions to the nationalist newspaper Malta of Enrico Mizzi. Two other documents, both dated 2 July 1937, declared that the Treasurer of the Ministero per la Stampa e Propaganda had authorised payment of 46,500 Italian lire to the Ministero degli Affari esteri Gabinetto for the acquisition of 50 shares in the new paper Malta. The money was to be withdrawn from the Fondo Stampa Estera.
Lech Walesa, a Noble Price winner, founded Solidarnosh which engineered the downfall of Communism, got elected President of Poland in December 1990 and received the Polish ‘Order of the both’ in 1995.
Our own Mizzi supported Mussolini who in turn declared war against us and our military protectors and we rehabilitated him and elected him as our Prime Minister.
So much for the voters’ judgmental brain power.
Were the 43 exiled to Uganda, traitors? What acts of treason did they commit? Remember, they were exiled in spite of being cleared of any charges, by our colonial masters of the time unlike a former Malta Prime Minister declared a 'traitor' by one of his own! He too, like the exiled, was welcomed back to the party which had politically exiled him for ten years. How touching!
Remember, one of the exiled 43, upon returning from exile, became Malta's Prime Minister, democratically elected, and as it turned out, most respected by those who had shoved him to Uganda a few years earlier.
You are right however that Dom Mintoff was 'democratically' elected to replace Sir Paul Boffa. Too bad he did not also democratically rule Malta between 1971 till he relinquished the reins to a non-elected also very democratic, hand picked 'leader'.
Everything which happens in the MLP or LP is so democratic. Even those with a very brief memory span will recollect how George Abela, our nation's President was 'democratically' set aside in the last Labour Party leadership race. C'mon Charles get with it, will you?
Here we have a typical example of people twisting historical and officially documented facts to belittle Labour’s past achievements.
You were quite right when you wrote, "I feel that it is a pity that many Maltese youths today seem to show little interest in what the Maltese nation endured during the Second World War" however let me remind you that there are several well written documentaries of Malta's involvement in WW II and there is no reason why one of them could not be used in history lessons for our youth.
Another thing, you mentioned the 'injustices of having thousands of Maltese forced to emigrate in the post-1945' - true enough but you forgot to mention a much bigger injustice of those who were exiled for no cause. When reporting a historical record of sorts, one should not omit parts which were of no personal interest.
And may I remind you that the Labour Party which introduced Social Services after the war (there was no Self-Government during the war) was Boffa's Workers' Party and not the Malta Labour Party which constantly boasts of the past Labour Party achievements in that area.
There is a not so subtle a difference, you know.