After years of sacrifice and hard work, last Saturday we witnessed the inauguration of the new PN headquarters. It was an enjoyable event and the pinnacle of chain of activities. It’s also the start of a new era and period of renovation. The inauguration of the new headquarters symbolises the physical end of the stamperija as we knew it and the start of a new phase in the amazing history and evolution of the Nationalist Party.

Although the stamperija is physically no longer there, it will remain stamped in our hearts and memories. It surely represents the recent amazing history of the Nationalist government, Malta’s contemporary history and the significant achievements of the Maltese population. It also represents the hardships that the Maltese had to endure during the 1970s and 1980s.

The stamperija represents the evolution that the Nationalist Party went through in the 1970s, when the new leadership was elected with a new generation of politicians. New structures within the party were created, and the party updated and renovated its policies and adapted to the new realities of Malta, without abandoning its own principles. New embryonic ideas developed and became Malta’s hope of a better future.

At the time, Malta was going through very rough times, and the stamperija, together with the party it housed, was a symbol of hope. Being the house of freedom, it was also attacked on numerous occasions, as was the norm those days. It was also ransacked by the police of the socialist regime at the time. However this did not hamper the desire and the drive for our fight for democracy and freedom. Actually, the fight for democracy gained enormous momentum at the time.

After the year 1987, the stamperija symbolised a series of achievements, one after the other. Democracy was re-instituted. Slowly and delicately normality settled down. People hoped for a better future, knowing that it was finally achievable. The stamperija witnessed various accomplishments. It witnessed the liberalisation of the 1990s, the economic expansion and reform and most importantly the strengthening of democracy in Malta. Peace of mind was no longer a desire, but it became the norm.

Other events that come to mind are the electoral victory of 1998, when the electorate voted out an incompetent government. I remember vividly the crowds in front of the stamperija eagerly waiting for the results of that election.

Another experience we all went through was the referendum result and the victory of the general election in 2003. The old headquarters will remain the symbol of these immense achievements, where Malta’s destiny was sealed. Future generations will benefit for years to come, thanks to the ideas and policies conceived and developed inside our stamperija.

A new era has now started. A renovation period has started. Together with the physical changes of the new headquarters, the party structures need to be renovated. The new PN headquarters are open for new politicians and new ideas. In the same way the old stamperija housed the regeneration of the Party 30 years ago, the new headquarters should give room to updated policies. We need to keep on modernising our country.

These are exciting times. We are extremely happy to live this event. The Nationalist party is grateful to all the helpers and contributors who have supported this massive project in the last years.

However, we should never forget past events and the era that the stamperija represented. For sure, it will remain encrypted in our hearts: l-istamperija.

David Agius is the Nationalist Party Whip