What our forefathers achieved 62 years ago is now ours to safeguard

Independence celebrations reach their climax on the Granaries in Floriana – during the Mass Meeting, PN Leader Alex Borg announces the opening of a new Office of the Leader of the Opposition in Valletta to be closer to the people; says the PN will have a new statute that strengthens the party and prepares it to govern

We must continue to safeguard and defend what our forefathers achieved, even today, 62 years later.

Sixty-two years ago, a flag was raised thanks to the courage of a people who believed in themselves. Today, that flag is in our hands, and it is our responsibility to give new meaning to a free Malta.

This was stated by Opposition and Partit Nazzjonalista Leader Alex Borg during the Mass Meeting that brought the Independence celebrations organised by the Partit Nazzjonalista on the Granaries in Floriana to a close. The celebrations were held under the theme “A free country. A country without fear.”

Alex Borg said that 62 years ago, some feared what Independence might mean. But there were also those who were courageous and recognised a hardworking people capable of governing their own country. At the time, Ġorġ Borg Olivier and the Partit Nazzjonalista believed in us, and today we have much for which to thank them. But we must now ask ourselves what we will do with this independence.

The PN Leader said that the Partit Nazzjonalista is working constantly to be closer to the people. He announced that, as Leader of the Opposition, he will open a new office in Valletta to be more accessible to the public. Alex Borg said this will bring the Partit Nazzjonalista closer to the people, hold the Government more accountable and bring the Partit Nazzjonalista closer to Castille.

He went on to say that the process to introduce a new statute for the Partit Nazzjonalista is currently under way; a statute that will make the Partit Nazzjonalista increasingly relevant and transform it into a winning party.

The PN Leader referred to what emerged over recent days and said that the important work carried out by journalists is crucial. He said that while one may not always agree with what a journalist writes, free journalism must be respected as an essential part of democracy.

Nine years later, our country is still awaiting justice for the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Alex Borg said that we have waited for far too long and that Robert Abela has dragged his feet for far too long.

The PN Leader spoke about the numerous occasions on which Robert Abela has been exposed as misleading the public. He recalled the sworn letter by Judge Wenzu Mintoff, which revealed how Robert Abela says one thing in public and another in private. He recalled how, just days after the conclusion of the trial, Abela claimed to have contacted the Caruana Galizia family, only to be contradicted shortly afterwards by the family itself. He recalled how, this week, the President of The Malta Chamber said that Robert Abela presents one picture to the public while the Finance Minister tells businesses something entirely different. He also recalled how, several weeks ago, Abela promised compensation to families and businesses affected by power cuts, but they have still received nothing.

Alex Borg said that politicians have an obligation to tell the truth at all times, even when the truth is difficult.

The PN Leader said that the work of the Partit Nazzjonalista continued throughout the summer and that, following the election, the party continued to put forward serious proposals for the country. It did so when it met the social partners amid an electricity crisis. It did so when the PN urgently convened Parliament to present a motion calling for the implementation of the recommendations of the Public Inquiry into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. And it did so again in recent days when it drafted legislation aimed at strengthening the institutions.

“Those who created the problem cannot solve it. They do not have the will to solve it. We must be the catalysts. We must be the ones who fight for a free country.”

Alex Borg said that we must build a safer and fairer country, a country in which young people feel they have a future.

The Leader of the Partit Nazzjonalista asked whom the Labour Government is working for. He said that, in recent weeks, we have heard how a number of politicians worked in their own interests rather than in the national interest. He said that the role of politicians is to serve the people and offer them renewed hope, not to serve themselves and their friends.

Alex Borg spoke about strengthening the Partit Nazzjonalista and said that, during his first 100 days as Leader, the outstanding financial reports were published, while this week the party submitted its report for the previous year – something the Labour Party has yet to do. He said that, to this day, Robert Abela continues to conceal his own assets, those of his wife and those of his Parliamentary Group, and challenged him to publish them.

Alex Borg said that every person’s contribution is important if the Partit Nazzjonalista is to become the Government this country deserves.

“When our forefathers wanted an independent Malta, we young people were the movement for change. When our forefathers wanted a European Malta, we young people were the movement for change. And now that we want a free country, A country without fear, we young people must once again become the movement for change.”

In an address preceding that of the PN Leader, Partit Nazzjonalista Deputy Leader Alex Perici Calascione said that the decision to return the Partit Nazzjonalista’s Independence celebrations to the Granaries in Floriana was a courageous one, made possible only through the work of many people. He said this is an important moment for our country, a challenging moment for the Maltese Islands that calls on each and every one of us to step forward and consider what we can do for our country.

Everything that emerged in court had been developing for years, and no one can believe that, after everything we have been through, we can simply continue with business as usual. Alex Perici Calascione said that the Partit Nazzjonalista will never accept this. He said the Partit Nazzjonalista has a duty never to justify what is inexcusable, a responsibility also shared by every Maltese and Gozitan citizen.

The PN Deputy Leader said that today the country salutes Ġorġ Borg Olivier and all those who worked to leave us an independent country. Today, our country must work to remain strong and courageous – a free country unafraid to fight for justice.

Partit Nazzjonalista Secretary General Charles Bonello also addressed the Mass Meeting. He said that Independence is more relevant today than ever before, as we live in a country where the Government has captured the institutions and where the national broadcaster serves merely as the Government’s propaganda machine. Charles Bonello said that, in the coming days, the Partit Nazzjonalista will take all the necessary steps to rectify this imbalance in the national broadcaster.

The PN Secretary General said that we must work together with determination to defend our sovereignty and independence, true freedom not only from foreign rule, but also from a Government that has eroded everything that belongs to the Maltese people. He maintained that only the Partit Nazzjonalista can guarantee a sovereign and independent country and that, to safeguard our freedom, we must not be afraid to speak out.

Charles Bonello said that the Partit Nazzjonalista will continue working to strengthen itself from within and reinforce its structures as it prepares to govern the country.

“With determination and by working together, we will build a normal country – the country that every Maltese and Gozitan citizen deserves to live in.”

Earlier, in the presence of the Party’s leadership, Parliamentary Group and representatives of the Partit Nazzjonalista’s branches, PN Deputy Leader Alex Perici Calascione laid a wreath at the Independence Monument in Floriana.

20.09.2026