President of Malta George Vella has announced a webinar to commemorate the 100 year anniversary of Malta’s 1921 constitution.
The webinar will be taking place on 17th April at San Anton Palace and will focus on a myriad of different aspects that led to the constitution’s establishment. Amongst the topics that will be discussed, the webinar will focus on the role the Second World War played in establishing the constitution, the Maltese quality of life at the time, the language problem in Malta, problems in the policing system and the rights of women.
The speakers at the webinar will be Professor Ray Mangion, Professor Joe Pirotta, Professor Francis Camilleri Cassar, Professor Josianne Cutajar and Reverend Nicholas Doublet
During the announcement, Vella was accompanied by Professor Raymond Mangion, professor of Legal History and Legal Research Methods at the University of Malta. Mangion said that “1921 is a very important date in our story” because it marks a turning point for Maltese identity.
Additionally, he said that it was the first time Malta was “given a voice in transferred matters” and helped the English move away from viewing Malta strictly as a fortress colony.
In continuation, Vella remarked that the establishment of the constitution was essential as it enabled the British to take a step back and view Malta as a body which could represent itself.
The webinar will enable Maltese to reflect on their roots and their identity, Vella said.
“We can learn more about ourselves, get a sense of pride and show youths how we became a nation and sprouted political parties, religion and trade unions,” Vella said.
“I want to give the message that union is always important to achieve anything, in the same way it helped us establish the constitution in 1921”, Vella said.
Vella appealed particularly for students to follow the webinar to learn more about their rich history, understand the difficulties the Maltese endured in the past and become “more conscious of who we are”.