The celebration of two national holidays within a space of a few days – we had Victory Day on 8 September and Independence Day on 21 September – always raises the issue on whether Malta should have just one national day.

We must be the only country to celebrate five national days, and this has come about because of our political history. Still, I believe that the time has come for the authorities to come up with one national day of celebration, without however lessening the importance of the others.

In this respect, I believe that Independence Day should be designated as Malta’s one and only national day.

It was on this day that Malta was born as a nation. It was on this day that we became our own rulers. It was on this day that Malta could start to plan its future without any foreign interference.

What happened afterwards is a consequence of Independence Day. Republic Day would never have arrived without Independence, and neither would the 1979 departure of British troops.

It is about time that we make up our minds about this.

■ Paul Caruana

Mosta