Death knell for Gozo's past?

Draft legislation, published by the government last week, may be sounding the death knell for Gozo's past.

The government is seemingly on the point of doing away with the Gozo Section of the National Archives, which was set up in 1989 at the insistence of former Gozo Minister, Anton Tabone, with the full collaboration of the then Education Minister, Dr Ugo Mifsud Bonnici. Are the gains and toils of the past 15 years about to be nullified?

According to the draft legislation, published in the Government Gazette of September 27, the government has decided to separate the Archives Department from that of the libraries and to establish it as a separate entity. However, this Act to regulate the National Archives, and to make provisions for the appointment of the National Archivist and other dispositions ancillary thereto, disregards completely the Gozo Section of the National Archives.

The separation of the archives from the Libraries Department is certainly a praiseworthy initiative for the two entities to fulfill different purposes. However, none of the 35 sections or the two schedules of the Act give any consideration to the Gozo section of the National Archives. A legal source who was contacted by The Sunday Times, is of the opinion that this practically means that the Government will be doing away with the Gozo section.

According to the source, this will ease its amalgamation with the National Archives and the transfer of documents to the Malta Archives situated at Santo Spirito in Rabat.

For unknown reasons, the committee responsible for the preparation of the bill disregarded completely, except in a single fringe instance, the island of Gozo. This is when the Minister for Gozo is given the right to appoint one person out of the 10 members of the National Archives Council, to be instituted by the same Act.

The complete omission of the Gozo Archives in this legislation prolongs a couldn't-care-less attitude towards Gozo. Rev. Dr Joseph Bezzina, who is responsible for the Gozo Section of the National Archives, refused to comment on the draft law when contacted by The Sunday Times. However, sources close to the Ministry of Gozo confirmed that the committee appointed by Education Minister Dr Louis Galea never consulted the Ministry on the proposed legislation.

The persons at the National Archives in Gozo, responsible for organising the records and building plans which were previously at the Health Department, should be praised for their work and for going out of their way to help people who are completely foreign to research.

I heartily appeal to Minister Giovanna Debono and other Gozitan MPs, to find out the government's intentions regarding the Gozo Archives through this legislation. Government should be persuaded to include proper provisions in the law so that the gains of the last 15 years in this field are not wiped away, wittingly or otherwise, by this legislation.