Once again I am forced to correct Mr John Saliba’s memory regarding Maltese constitutional history ca 1947 (TMID, 9 November).

The Council of Government and the National Assembly were not the same body under different names, as stated by Mr Saliba. They were two different entities.

The National Assembly was an ad hoc body convened with one purpose and one purpose only – to draft a new constitution for the Maltese Islands.

And, again contrary to Mr Saliba’s perceptions, it was structured to be as widely representative of the Maltese population as possible.

It was not made up of only (or even mainly) representatives of the political parties, but included representatives of practically all constituted bodies in Malta – including the fledgling women’s organisations.

So wide was the representation that, in view of the 158 delegates allotted to Band Clubs, some protested that “the shaping of the Maltese Constitution should not lie in the hands of musical associations” (ref. “Fortress Colony: The Final Act” by Prof. J.M. Pirotta)

And, unpalatable as it may be for Mr Saliba, it was the “Labour Front”, led by Dr Paul Boffa, who, during that Assembly, proposed that women should be given the vote – and it was the conservative elements – among them the delegates of the PN – who tried to derail that motion.

As for the sad episode of the Ugandan exiles, Mr Saliba should beware of judging events outside their time and context.

Things look very different now, in peacetime, than they did more than 60 years ago in the midst of a war with German and Italian bombs raining down on the Maltese population.

History cannot be rewritten to suit Mr Saliba.

Victor Laiviera

Naxxar