Comments on: Michael Falzon in The Sunday Times today

By: A. Attard

A. Attard — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 08:28:58 +0000

In reply to Dr Francis Saliba. Can you stop this colony rubbish. It looks like you know nothing about Maltese history. So Crete is a de facto colony of Greece?

By: Dr Francis Saliba

Dr Francis Saliba — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:10:10 +0000

The fact that the Maltese islands were a small part of the Kingdom of Sicily since the 12th century and that it followed the fate of that kingdom under the Bourbon and Spanish kingdoms does not alter the fact that it was a de facto colony even before it became part of the British Empire.

By: A.Attard

A.Attard — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 17:08:12 +0000

In reply to Dr Francis Saliba.

The answer is part of a bigger whole. Which is completely different from being a colony.

There was never an “occupation” be it Byzantine, Arab, Norman, etc. Malta was part of the territory of Sicily and so whenever the governing power of Sicily changed automatically Malta’s changed accordingly.

Malta was only a colony under British rule (I repeat), before that Malta was part of the territory of the Kingdom of Sicily or whoever ruled the area.

Malta is the name of an island, it only became the name of a state since independence.

By: Dr Francis Saliba

Dr Francis Saliba — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 14:47:07 +0000

So if Malta was not sovereign before it achieved independence in 1964 and it was never a colonizing power what was it before 1814? What was it during the Punic Wars, what was it during the period of Byzantine occupation, during the period under the Arabs, the Normans, Swabians, Angevines, Aragonese, Castillians?

By: A. Attard

A. Attard — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 13:33:34 +0000

In reply to Dr Francis Saliba.

Not correct.

Malta was certainly not a colony in Roman times, and definitely not a colony when it made part of the Kingdom of Siclily.

Malta was a colony only in the British era starting at the Treaty of Paris in 1814.

What I think you meant is that Malta was never soverign untill 1964.

By: R. Camilleri

R. Camilleri — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 12:34:49 +0000

In reply to Dr Francis Saliba.

It’s not “simply because that is what they do”. We do have to remember that we are a tiny speck on the atlas, however. There is no need for us to reinvent the wheel because others have gone through the same problems before us.

It is not an inferiority complex to look at such countries, admit that they are ahead of us in certain issue, and learn from them. For those who want to feel superior, you can always look towards southern Europe (not to mention Africa, Asia, etc).

By: Dr Francis Saliba

Dr Francis Saliba — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 11:39:17 +0000

Malta has been a colony at least since the time of Carthage and Rome – not only for the last couple of centuries. You seem to be under the wrong impression that there was no history before the days of the British Empire.

I am not any diplomat, but you do not have to be a diplomat to know the elementary Maltese history.

By: Joseph A Borg

Joseph A Borg — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 10:38:23 +0000

In reply to Patrik. Do they? Let's see how the divorce issue pans out.

By: H.P. Baxxter

H.P. Baxxter — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 09:15:44 +0000

In reply to Dr Francis Saliba.

Oh dear. It is not just those “superior beings” who have divorce legislation, but everyone. And emulating excellence is in no way an inferiority complex. It is simply a desire to improve oneself.

P.S. There were only a couple of centuries of colonialism in Maltese history, if you can call it that. You, of all people, should know better (I assume you’re Dr Saliba the diplomat).

By: Patrik

Patrik — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 07:26:02 +0000

In reply to Dr Francis Saliba. Perhaps they take the second part as seriously as the first.