MY RECOLLECTIONS OF MONDAY, 28th APRIL 1958 – the first step to Independence and Freedom 60 years ag

Monday, 28th April 1958 weather-wise dawned a dull and sullen day, faint sunlight hidden by a bank of grey clouds. An air of suspense, tension and expectancy hung over the Maltese Island. Prime Minister Dom Mintoff had resigned in protest against the British Government’s attitude and the country was in turmoil.

This was the day on which Mintoff declared a General Strike and decreed it to be a “Jum Luttu” – A Day of Mourning. There was a hushed silence everywhere as people watched and waited. The streets were mainly empty, all schools and businesses closed. Most house front doors were either closed or half ajar and many adorned with strips of black mourning cloth.

I was just 11 years old but, like the loyal General Workers’ Union, most of the Dockyard employees and thousands of Maltese workers, my heart was with the brave, battling Mintoff.

At the time we lived in Gzira having returned from London and my father, an RAF Officer, was stationed at Ta’ Qali. My mother urged him not to go to Ta’ Qali but he said he was an employee of the British Government and had no alternative. He left early, wearing his RAF uniform and arrived safely.

Dom Mintoff’s first call was for full Integration with Britain. This meant EQUAL rights with people in Britain, equal wages, equal opportunities and above all Maltese MPs in the British House of Commons. He maintained that Malta was not “a colony” and deserved equal treatment after its tremendous WWII record that had earned it no less than the George Cross from the British Monarch.

This found some support from British Labour Party MPs. HOWEVER, Archbishop Mikiel Gonzi vehemently disagreed, arguing that Integration would serve to deteriorate Malta’s Roman Catholic roots and eventually Malta would become Protestant. Naturally, at a time of widespread ignorance and illiteracy, this bullshit was believed by many and, as usual, this stance was backed by the treacherous Nationalist Party – always anxious to acquire popularity by hiding in Gonzi’s vestments.

In retrospect, what Gonzi really feared was a dilution of the Church’s hold on a largely superstitious people, easily swayed by visions of mortal sin and Hell, backed later by false reports that if returned to power Mintoff would close down churches, imprison priests and nuns and a proliferation of other lies and placards depicting Mintoff smashing crucifixes over church domes and naturally, lies that continued to be perpetrated by the Nationalist Party.

Gradually it became obvious to Mintoff that Integration was not to be and he pulled out his next best alternative, total Independence and that meanwhile, the British should pay justly for using Malta for defence purposes. The slogan adopted was “PAY UP OR GO HOME”.

This was the Mintoff that later caused Daphne Caruana Galizia to write on his death that she could willingly go and dance on his grave and, from what I can make out, blaming him for having “stunted” her education.

However, a woman claiming to have been her school classmate wrote that DCG had been an academic duffer who sole academic claim was that of writing essays in excellent English and that to boot, she was a sullen, introvert character with a largely unkempt appearance because apparently, shower water and bath soap were not high in her list of priorities.

I cannot comment or verify any of this because unlike Simon Busuttil I do not base anything on hearsay on the basis that “because so-and-so said so, then it must be true” and even more atrociously go on to base a whole electoral campaign mainly on hearsay – and he is a lawyer for God’s sake! If he was the last lawyer on earth I still would not have him defend me!

Anyway, back to 1958. During the course of the morning, large groups of workers began to assemble in the vicinity of the Dockyard at Cospicua and in places like Birkirkara and Paola and stones were laid down to block roads and prevent the movement of British military vehicles. Inevitably, there were clashes with the Malta Police – the shame of pitting Maltese against Maltese … naturally all approved by Gonzi and his PN clique.

We worried about my father Frank having to return from Ta’ Qali in the afternoon via Birkirkara, wearing his uniform and driving his black Peugeot 209 because in the meanwhile matters had escalated and there were reports of riots.

At the time when he usually returned, he did not appear and there were no mobiles or laptops in those days. However, he eventually did – with a great smile on his face and he recounted what happened.

He had left Ta’ Qali and proceeded towards Birkirkara but in the vicinity of the MLP Club, the road had been blocked by stones and he had to stop. A crowd surrounded his car and when they saw him in uniform they became furious and began to rock his car in anger.

Calmly, he rolled down his driver’s window and gave them a few choice words in Maltese. They were magical! When they realised he was Maltese, and an Officer to boot, they immediately stopped, unblocked the road and as he drove through they gave him a large round of applause.

This then, on 28th April, 1958 was the first step to total Independence and Freedom for the Maltese Islands, honours that were later usurped by the Nationalist Party in 1964 when a joke Independence was granted to Malta and only rectified by the great Dom Mintoff from 1971 onwards.

ALBERT JEROME FENECH