Letters to the editor – April 26, 2025
Today’s letters by Times of Malta readers

A real gentleman and friend
It was I who introduced Francis Zammit Dimech to politics and, for many years, our life moved on together through various organisations until we were both elected to parliament in 1987.

From then on, his career moved ahead while I left politics in 1992. For a number of years he was my minister when I led the rehabilitation projects of Valletta, Mdina and Cottonera and, later, at Heritage Malta. He was always attentive to my opinion and supported me as my career moved more on an international level.
There were times, of course, when we disagreed. But he was always a gentleman and I was so glad he ended up being acting president.
He did a lot for Malta.
Ray Bondin – Għajnsielem
Symbol of collective valour
With reference to ‘War medal on Maltese flag’ (Charles Xuereb, April 21), it must be said that calling for the removal of the George Cross from Malta’s flag is a fundamental misreading of its meaning and purpose.
The George Cross was not a symbol of colonial domination but an extraordinary and rare recognition of the bravery and suffering of the entire Maltese population during World War II. It honours not empire but endurance, a testament to how a small nation withstood unimaginable hardship.
Far from being a relic of submission, the George Cross has become part of a sovereign nation’s chosen identity. Malta has embraced it not through colonial imposition but through national consensus and pride. To dismiss it as outdated is to overlook the very history that forged modern Malta.
There is also an inherent beauty in the flag’s design – dignified, balanced and deeply symbolic. To strip it of the George Cross is not an act of progress but an erasure of national memory.
This emblem is a tribute to the spirit of a people who stood firm in the face of devastation and to those who gave their lives doing so.
It deserves reverence, not revision.
Ray Azzopardi – St Julian’s