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-25th October 2002
Who are we?
We are a small but brave people who survived without dominating and oppressing other communities.
Yet, no other country has suffered as much as Malta from the wars waged by others in the past.
Malta was given the highest possible decoration by Britain and the United States of America for her bravery during the last World War. Yet, these countries denied Malta those means for survival which they had gladly given to their former enemies – those who were about to wipe out America and Britain during the biggest conflict the world has ever seen.
As if this misfortune had not been overwhelming, Malta had to risk her entire existence in order to gain her freedom and independence from Britain and NATO – that freedom and independence recognized as the fundamental right of every nation.
In spite of these grave offences, Malta chose the road of peace and friendship with the nations of the West as well as of the East. This policy of neutrality enabled us to enjoy the greatest ever measure of political freedom and economic prosperity.
However, owing to the fact that our national economy started to develop freely in the pursuit of peace at least thirty years after that of other European countries, we are not yet fully competitive in industry and commerce. It would therefore be suicidal to abandon the road we have undertaken out of caprice, partisanship or deceit.
What stage have we reached?
Malta has long felt the need to benefit from the moral and material incentives offered by European countries. This explains why 30 years ago we concluded an ‘Association Agreement’ with the European Economic Community. And that form of close yet not full membership with the Community was adopted as a model by those other countries who, like us, chose to work closely with the Community without the obligations and rights of full membership. ----
It is worth remembering that in the early 1970’s at Helsinki Malta succeeded in convincing all the participating States that peace should not only be made secure for the countries of Northern Europe – there could be no European security without Mediterranean security.
Even more important was the fact that Malta, taking cognisance of its small physical size and population which rendered it impossible to raise modern arms for her defence resorted to secure her neutrality and freedom by concluding treaties with countries ranging from Western to Eastern Europe and the Arab world that guaranteed her sovereignty and neutrality.
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Those are the international ties that still enable us to live in freedom today. Doubtlessly , we would have advanced farther had we persevered in our previous efforts in all the civic sectors. Focusing our attention on the industrial sector, we cannot but perceive that Malta grasped and exploited all the opportunities for development by setting up factories on her soil jointly with German, English, Italian, Libyan and other foreign industrialists.
Our Fundamental Values
Taking into account all past pronouncements, everyone in Malta should agree on two fundamental values: peace and neutrality.
Why peace? To survive Malta needs it more than any other country in the world. Because of our diminutive size and the destructive power of modern armaments Malta will be wiped out entirely in a state of war. In one fell swoop we will lose everything that we achieved through years of toil in the pursuit of peace.
In any new agreement with the European Union we should therefore stress that Malta’s efforts for peace should remain unhindered.
We could do more by underlining the need for the pursuit of peace by the European Union to which we would give our full contribution. We would in particular be ready to share with the Union a common sovereignty solely in the affairs for the achievement of a common peace.
This would naturally become easier when the European Union embraces neutrality and renounces all arms for wars of aggression.
What is the meaning of our neutrality? We aspire for the elbow room and the opportunity to work alongside every State, people, community or individuals who, like us, are striving to bring all wars to an end so that we may all live like brothers in peace without injuring one another.
Is it possible to work closely with the European Union when we hold those values fundamental for the life of our country? The answer is yes. We have tried in the past and we succeeded.
Only hard work can guarantee our prosperity
We have another fundamental objective – safeguarding work in our country for that is the only means of increasing the wealth of our people.
We should therefore patiently explain to the European Union that Malta should not be burdened with regulations which might decrease work opportunities in our country and hamper our economic growth.
Such regulations, if implemented, would result in our inability to make any meaningful contribution to world peace. Unless we become strong in the economic sense we will be denying ourselves the possibility to work for peace and help other people in the process. -
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Only hard work can guarantee our prosperity
We have another fundamental objective – safeguarding work in our country for that is the only means of increasing the wealth of our people.
We should therefore patiently explain to the European Union that Malta should not be burdened with regulations which might decrease work opportunities in our country and hamper our economic growth.
Such regulations, if implemented, would result in our inability to make any meaningful contribution to world peace. Unless we become strong in the economic sense we will be denying ourselves the possibility to work for peace and help other people in the process.
To reach all these objectives we must proclaim to our people the necessity for harder work, with judicious application, greater integrity and sustainable sacrifices.
We must do the utmost to call a halt to the national debt and wipe it entirely before it destroys our country.
Only if we succeed to do this shall we be able to leave our children and the children of our children a valid inheritance and not a millstone around their necks.
Our aspiration
In the past we have worked closely with a Europe intent, like us, on efforts to make peace possible in the Mediterranean. We have done so without undue restrictions that might have hindered their work or ours.
We can see no new circumstance to oblige us or them to abandon the road which kept us together until today.
We strongly believe that it is in the interest of the European Union as well as of our own to reinforce the efforts we have made so far.
We see no gain in abandoning a proven road for a new one which to others might appear momentarily more attractive but which, in the long run, will bring all of us into grief.
We hope that the European Union will concur fully with our views. But above all we are confident that all citizens of Malta and Gozo will agree with us that Malta should now arise.
To all those who subscribe to our common objectives we appeal for joining the "Malta Arise" Front.
Dom Mintoff
Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici
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Min ahna?
Ahna poplu zghir u qalbieni li kompla jghix minghajr ma hakem u kasbar gnus ohra.
Izda ebda pajjiz ma sofra daqs il-poplu Malti minhabba l-gwerer li saru fl-imghoddi.
Allavolja fl-ahhar gwerra Malta kisbet tifhir specjali mill-Ingilterra u l-Amerika ghall-qlubija li l-poplu Malti wera, b’danakollu dawna cahduna mill-ghodda ghall-ghajxien li huma wasslu bil-ferh lill-ghedewwa taghhom li b’cikka ma qerduhomx ghal kollox fl-akbar tilwima li qatt rat id-dinja.
Bhallikieku dan l-ghawg ghal Malta ma kienx bizzejjed, Malta ssugrat kolox sabiex tikseb l-indipendenza u l-helsien mill-hakma Ingliza u tan-NATO dak il-helsien li huwa dritt fondamentali ghal kull poplu taht il-kappa tax-xemx.
Malta nsiet l-ghawg u mxiet fit-triq ta’ paci u hbiberija kemm mal-pajjizi tal-Punent u ukoll tal-Lvant. B’din il-politika ta’ newtralita’ rnexxielna nkattru l-helsien politiku u niksbu l-akbar prosperita’ ekonomika li qatt ra pajjizna.
Izda, ghax ahna bdejna f’din it-triq millanqas tletin sena wara l-pajjizi l-ohra ta’ l-Ewropa, ghad ma ninsabux f’qaghda li nikkompetu maghhom fil-qasam industrijali u kummercjali. Ghalhekk ikun-
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suwicidju ghalina li nabbandunaw it-triq li qeghdin fiha b’kapricc, b’pika jew b’ingann.
Fejn ahna
Malta ilha li hasset il-htiega li tikseb in`entivi morali u materjali mill-pajjizi ta’ l-Ewropa. Ghalhekk tletin sena ilu ghamilna ‘Association Agreement’ mal-Komunita’ Ekonomika Ewropea, u dik il-forma ta’ shubija qrib il-Komunita’, izda mhux membru taghha, serviet ta’ mudell ghal pajjizi ohra li bhalna xtaqu li, minghajr ma jidhlu membri tal-Komunita’, jaghmlu shubija maghha.
Infakkru li, minkejja c-cokon taghna, fil-bidu tas-snin sebghin, f’Helsinki rnexxielna nwasslu lil kull pajjiz sabiex jaqbel li l-paci ma kellhiex issehh fl-Ewropa ta’ Fuq biss, izda kellha tinfirex ukoll fil-Mediterran.
Aktar importanti kien il-fatt li ghas-sigurta’, il-helsien u n-newtralita’ ta’ pajjizna, Malta, li tant hi zghira li mhux possibbli ghaliha li jkollha armati li jieqfu lil haddiehor, irnexxielha li taghmel trattati li jiggarantixxu s-sovranita’ u n-newtralita’ ta’ pajjizna ma’ pajjizi kbar, kemm ma' ta’ l-Ewropa tal-Lvant, kif ukoll ma’ ta' l-Ewropa tal-Punent, u anki mal-pajjizi tad-Dinja Gharbija.
Dan sa fejn wasalna llum. Ma hemmx dubju li konna naslu aktar, kieku bqajna nistinkaw fl-oqsma kollha. Niehdu biss il-qasam industrijali ahna htafna l-opportunitajiet li rajna u wzajnihom biex nizviluppaw ma’ industrijalisti Germanizi, Inglizi, Taljani, Libjani u ohrajn.
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Il-valuri fondamentali
Il-valuri fondamentali li kulhadd f’Malta ghandu jaqbel dwarhom huma tnejn: il-pa`i u n-newtralita’.
Ghaliex il-paci? Malta tehtigilha l-pa`i aktar minn kulhadd. Minhabba c-cokon taghna, bl-armi tal-lum f’pajjizna jinqered kollox bi gwerra. Nitilfu kull ma ksibna s’issa bil-politika ta’ pa`i.
Ghalhekk, fir-rabtiet taghna ma’ l-Unjoni Ewropeja rridu nassiguraw li l-hidma taghna ghall-pa`i tibqa’ bla mittiefsa.
Ghandna naghmlu aktar minn hekk. Ahna nemmnu li anki l-Unjoni Ewropea jehtigilha l-paci. Ghalhekk ghandna naghtuha l-kontribut taghna ghall-harsien tal-pa`i.
Jekk l-Unjoni Ewropea tasal biex thaddan politika ta’ paci billi tichad ghal dejjem il-gwerra, ghandna nkunu lesti naqsmu maghha dik il-parti tas-sovranita’ biex jintlahaq l-ghan komuni taghna tal-pa`i.
Xi tfisser in-newtralita’ ghalina? Tfisser li ahna jkollna l-ispazju, li jkollna n-nifs, li jkun possibbli ghalina li nahdmu id f’id ma’ kull nazzjon, poplu, komunita’ u individwu li bhalna jridu li jinqerdu l-gwerer u li l-bnedmin jghixu bhal ahwa, minghajr ma naghmlu hsara lil xulxin.
Hu possibbli nahdmu ma’ l-Unjoni Ewropea meta ghandna dawn il-valuri u htigijiet fundamentalissimi ghal pajjizna? Inwiegbu iva ghaliex fl-imghoddi pprovajna u rnexxielna-
Il-gid mix-Xoghol
Ghandna ghan kbir iehor li nharsu x-xoghol f’pajjizna u li nkattru l-mezzi ghall-holqien tal-gid ghall-poplu taghna.
Ghalhekk irridu nfiehmu lill-Unjoni Ewropea li m’ghandhiex ixxekkilna b’regoli li jnaqqsu x-xoghol f’pajjizna u li ma jghinuniex biex nikbru ekonomikament.
Infiehmu wkoll lill-Unjoni Ewropea li biex aktar nahdmu ghall-pa`i, jaqbel li ma nfixklux il-kisba ta’ aktar xoghol u hidma ekonomika f’pajjizna. Aktar ma nkunu b’sahhitna ekonomikament, aktar nistghu nahdmu ghall-paci u nghinu lil haddiehor.
Lill-poplu taghna nghidulu li biex nilhqu l-ghanijiet taghna jehtigilna nahdmu aktar, b’ghaqal izjed, b’aktar onesta’ u b’sagrificcji akbar.
Irridu nkunu lesti naghmlu kull ma hemm bzonn halli l-ewwel inwaqqfu t-tkabbir tad-dejn nazzjonali, u mbaghad neqirdu ghal kollox id-dejn li jkisser lil pajjizna.
Jekk biss naghmlu dan inkunu nitghu nserrhu rasna li lil uliedna u lil ulied uliedna ser inhallulhom wirt tajjeb u mhux djun kbar li johonquhom.
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Tamietna
Ahna hdimna ma’ Ewropa li bhalna kienet turi li tixtieq tistinka biex ikun hawn il-pa`i fil-Mediterran. M'ghamilniex dan b’irbit li seta’ jxekkel kemm lilna u kemm lin-naha l-ohra. Ma narawx ghaliex ghandna nitbieghdu minn dik it-triq li mxejna fiha sal-lum.
Ahna nhossu li kemm ghall-Unjoni Ewropea u kemm ghalina jaqbel li nkomplu ninfurzaw dak li ghamilna sal-lum, u ma jaqbilx li nabbandunawh biex naqbdu triq ohra li forsi haddiehor ihoss li ghall-mument hija ahjar, imma li zgur fit-tul iggib hsara lil kulhadd.
Nittamaw li l-Unjoni Ewropea taqbel maghna. Izda qabel kollox nittamaw li l-Maltin u l-Ghawdxin ta’ rieda tajba lkoll jaqblu maghna li Malta jehtigilha tqum.
Lil kull min jaqbel maghna f’dawn l-ghanijiet, inhegguh jissieheb fil-front "Maltin Inqumu".
Dom Mintoff
Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici
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