Raymond Mangion
Head of Department of Legal History and Methodology, Faculty of Laws, University of Malta
The Sette Giugno, or, better, the disturbances of June 7 and 8, 1919, are now 100 years old. They have been commemorated perhaps even more than the 50 years of Independence of 1964. They were the theme ofsymposia, exhibitions, television productions. In particular, they led to a good number of individual and collective publications by leading historians, scholars and academics.
Our society boasts a number of centenarians but nobody remembers the event which has been construed and reconstrued since it transpired a centenary ago.
It has to be borne in mind that the past exists only in our minds and is resuscitated only by way of interpretation and re-interpretation. We choose how to construct and reconstruct all the happenings of yore and we select what is historical and what is not according to our likings.
The references to and debates on the Sette Giugno disturbances are confused and contradictory. The event has been treated with objectivity or partisanship, in an apologetic fashion or in a disparaging mode. Whether pro-British or philo-Italian, the rhetoric involved led political movements, with the exception of a now years-long defunct party, to identify their genesis or emergence more or less with the disturbances in question.
Needless to say, the Sette Giugno disturbances were different from previous similar uprisings (1835, 1846, 1891) in terms of facts for the reason that they were contaminated by bloodshed of three Maltese and a Gozitan killed directly, ‘martyrs’ if you like, by bayonets or shootings. There were other ‘victims’ who lost their lives or were seriously injured in other ways, that is to say by a shock or by trying to escape the lethal scene.
The attributions to the causes and effects of the bloody Sette Giugno were variegated but many questions are hitherto pending. No doubt, whatever the vicissitudes and consequences of the event, the Sette Giugno was an important step in the itinerary conducive to better constitutions and to more parliamentary democracy in the country, notwithstanding the fact that the final achievement of Independence and the Republic, as well as the departure of the British military bases, arrived unavoidably by leaps and bounds, from progression to retrogression and inversely, from 1919 onwards.
History has an inherent defect: it could never tell the whole story, it could never be tantamount to the truth. The facts on past events could never be completely revealed or discovered in their entirety. There is inevitably always a bit and a piece which are never brought to evidence because documents get lost and memory fails.
Nevertheless, one lesson may still be learnt from the 1919 disturbances. On the occasion, four of our fellow-countrymen passed away, were murdered, when they were apparently at Valletta without intending to join in the disturbances. It was their demise that led the political parties and the whole country to unite and pave the way to the eventual attainment of our sovereignty.
In other words, the lesson to be embraced and cultivated is to keep ourselves – we Maltese – in unity and positive for the future.
Carmelo Mifsud Bonnici
Opposition spokesman for foreign affairs and promotion of commerce
The mixture of factors in the powder keg that exploded in popular fury on June 7, 1919 in Valletta was indeed incendiary.
One primary factor was cost of living that had risen to unbearable levels while wages and salaries remained at pre-war levels. Bread became scarce and prices too dear for the working class. The price of kerosene and clothes had risen stiffly in a lopsided market. Landlords reacted by inflating house rents and threatening evictions.
Another factor was the remarkable insensitivity of the colonial administration in dealing with the plight of the civilian population during and after World War I .
The third factor were the redundancies in the Naval Dockyard, which intensified the general feeling of dissatisfaction with an insensible administration unduly influenced by grain merchants and landowners. All these conditions, objectively intolerable, were rendered insufferable by then awakening worldwide aspirations towards the self-governance of peoples.
The mould, which had cast the Maltese as meek loyal subjects of a distant king reigning over a great empire on which the sun never set, had to be broken. The sparks that removed inhibitions were provided by the strike at the Dockyard, and by the students’ demonstrations in May, when, for the first time, somebody had the courage to bring down the Union Jack. The crowds gathered in the capital directed their anger at the grain merchants and offices of The Daily Malta Chronicle, which consistently supported that insensible administration. The administration, run by a Field Marshall, could only think of a military solution. The troops deployed to suppress the demonstrations, which were turning violent, panicked, fired at the crowd and charged with their bayonets.
One of those injured was taken to the club La Giovine Malta, where the National Assembly was meeting, and laid on a table. The crowd was instinctively asking for political leadership.
Remarkably, though the Maltese demonstrators destroyed property, they caused no harm to people. The restraint shamed those who were denying their right to self-determination.
Calm was restored with some assistance from Auxiliary Bishop Angelo Portelli. The government in London reacted to the demonstrations and their tragic consequences by recalling governor and commander-in-chief Paul Metheun and replacing him with Lord Plumer and with a change in policy: henceforth the call for self-government had to be favourably taken into consideration. This policy bore fruit in the Amery Constitution of 1921, not too distant from the proposals of the National Assembly.
Malta can look back at the events of June 1919 with great pride. Our forebears stood up to assert their rights to self-government and the crowd was not cowed into submission or rushed into excess.
There was also great unity of purpose. It was the first really determined step towards independence.
After 100 years, we all agree that the events of those days proved to be defining moments in our history. On June 7, 1919, the Maltese masses summoned to action a strong and tenacious Maltese political leadership. That is why it is so apt and proper that the House of Representatives should continue to mark this great day.
Godfrey Farrugia
Interim leader of the Democratic Party
June 7 commemorates a historical moment where people stood up and fought for their legitimate rights and common interests.
The riots were a consequence of soaring food prices and an unstable political scenario during Colonial government. Reforms led to the establishment of self-government, a parliament and a constitution. Since then, 100 years have passed and Malta finds itself in dire straits, as it has a democratic system whose Constitution is dysfunctional. We live in times where the government lacks accountability, lacks transparency, is arrogant, misuse of power is rampant and we lack sustainable policies. Moreover, Parliament’s Standing Orders are a sham, as they grossly favour the Executive and do not recognise minority rights.
Malta is at a crossroads. The age of gentlemen and goodwill seems to be long past. Political responsibility is poorly upheld and the well-being of society is constantly under threat. The Third Sector, with the exception of a handful of civil society representations, has been muted and it is questionable how free the press is.
This is a historical moment too. A time of refection is upon us that should instil good sense, so that we rethink a way forward with a purpose. We must objectively work for a human-centred leadership built on mutual trust and respect. The abuse of power must be constrained. Equal treatment of citizens and social justice must be ensured. Public power must be is used in the public interest. Malta’s character and natural capital need to be urgently safeguarded. These are some of the identified challenges.
Hope never dies, nor the commitment to do things correctly.
The Democratic Party has the political will to address Malta’s and Gozo’s interests with fresh ideas, solutions and best practices. We are ready to do this in harmony with other political parties that have the national interest at heart.
The memory of the Sette Giugno martyrs should encourage all people from all walks of life to cherish Malta’s national pride and should make politicians spare no effort and rediscover our lost sense of political responsibility.
This is a Times of Malta print opinion piece