Dr Sant, who was speaking during the opening of an exhibition on the historical events of 28 April 1958, said that the MLP had faced the reality of colonialism in its worst time.

He said that in the 1950s the British were not interested in sustaining their empire and wanted to close the dockyards, which would have resulted in thousands of Maltese workers losing their jobs.

In those years, he said, the MLP was working towards integration, which would have meant that Maltese workers would have enjoyed the same social and economic standing as British workers. As a second option, the

MLP would have worked for

independence.

The British were not interested in this and 28 April 1958 was “an explosion that opened up a new chapter” in the history of Malta. What happened that year contains lessons for the present because, Dr Sant said, it must be remembered that the MLP had to wait another 13 years to reach its goals.

Dr Sant said that Labour principles were still the same, but circumstances were different. On the eve of Malta’s accession to the EU, the MLP wanted to keep building on the challenges of the past as it has been doing for many years.