Thirty-five years ago, on December 13, 1974, the Republic of Malta was created. Forty-nine members of the House of Representatives voted in favour of the creation of the republic and six, all coming from the Nationalist Party, abstained. Sir Anthony Mamo became the first President of the Republic of Malta. It was a unique achievement for a country that had only been independent for just over 10 years.

The concept of a republic envisages putting into practice the essence of democracy through exercising the sovereignty of the people. This works through electing the representatives of the people who exercise power on their behalf. In addition to this, in a republic, the head of state is a President. The President of the Republic of Malta has to be a Maltese citizen. The Republic of Malta is built on work and on the respect for the fundamental rights and liberties of the individual. Furthermore, the 1974 Constitution also granted the vote to Maltese citizens aged 18 and over.

Examining the development of the concept of a Maltese republic, one finds that Mikiel Anton Vassalli had republican ideas, which seemed to be on the point of actual realisation when the army of the First French Republic invaded and occupied Malta in June 1798. But the first experiment in republicanism in Malta was short-lived because the French were very unpopular with the Maltese due to several mistakes committed by the French administration in Malta, resulting in the Maltese insurrection of September 2, 1798 and the expulsion of the French from Malta in September 1800.

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th, the Maltese patriot Manuel Dimech also dreamed of a time when a Gozitan-Maltese republic would be established. But Dimech was a man ahead of his times and his efforts to ameliorate the political and socio-economic lot of his fellow Maltese resulted in his being deported from Malta by the British Colonial Administration in 1914 and his dying in exile in Egypt in 1921.

The dream of a Maltese republic was finally realised by the person regarded by many as Malta's greatest Prime Minister, Dom Mintoff. The creation of the republic, however, has to be regarded as a national achievement and not just Mr Mintoff's triumph or the Labour Party's accomplishment alone. Indeed, the creation of the republic must be seen as part of a trio of national achievements starting with Independence in 1964, the Republic itself in 1974 and the closing of the British military base in Malta on Freedom Day 1979.

Independence established the basis of a chain of events that revolutionised the constitutional, political and socio-economic development of Malta. Without Independence in 1964, the other two important steps in Malta's development would not have been possible. For this national achievement, Prime Minister George Borg Olivier should be given the historical credit he deserves. However, the form of Independence acquired in 1964 left room for further improvement.

The idea of having a foreign monarch as head of state was unwelcome to many Maltese, including Labour leader Mr Mintoff. Many also asked how a country could be really "independent" and yet have whole areas of Malta that were considered as being off-limits to the Maltese themselves and with foreign service personnel stationed on Maltese soil.

The acquisition of power by the Labour Party in June 1971 led to the creation of the Republic and the closing of the British military base, thus completing a long process of development that completely changed political and socio-economic conditions in Malta.

Again, it is important to stress that both the Labour Party and the Nationalist Party are to be given credit for the gains achieved. These were not politically-partisan achievements; these were successes that were only made possible through the toil and sacrifices of all the Maltese people.

Thirty-five years later, the debate in Malta centres on how what was achieved in 1974 can be safeguarded and consolidated. The debate is intense and opinions are mixed. Some are of the opinion that the term "sovereignty of the people" no longer holds because decisions are taken by a restricted number of powerful people, which leads one to the conclusion that we are living in an oligarchy and no longer in a democracy. Others disagree with this view and argue that such a situation cannot be avoided in practice in a representative democracy.

Then there is the question of civil rights. Again, some argue that such things as divorce have to be introduced if we are to really speak of genuine civil rights in Malta and respect for the fundamental rights and liberties of the individual as enshrined in the Constitution. Others argue that the majority of Maltese citizens are against this.

The debate continues.