Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1526919
INDEPENDENCE Part 2 commemorating 60 years of independence The tribulations of Borg Olivier's Independence Cabinet From NATO to the merchant shipping flag and 'insidious' trading stamps, Kurt Sansone uncovers the ministerial deliberations just before and after Malta's independence in 1964. Here are the Cabinet minutes from that period found at the National Archives. MALTA is 60 years old as a sovereign state, a landmark occasion in the life of this rel- atively young country. But what was it like in the weeks leading up to Inde- pendence Day in 1964? And what were the immediate pri- orities after independence as this country took its first ba- by steps on the international stage? MaltaToday leafed through the Cabinet minutes and memos from 1964 to try and understand the priorities of prime minister Gorg Borg Olivier's government were. The overview covers the three Cabinet meetings preceding independence and the 12 Cabinet meetings af- ter Malta became a sovereign state. From concerns over broad- casting to deciding what mer- chant shipping flag to adopt and the relationship with NA- TO, which had its Mediterra- nean headquarters in Malta, ministers were deciding the fate of this new country. As ministers sought to diversi- fy the economy by exploiting the country's tourism poten- tial, they also had to deal with the British military establish- ment's requirements. But the Cabinet minutes also hint at domestic con- cerns over price increases and coupon systems created by merchants, which had the conservative establishment worried about the impact it would have on housewives. Ministers discussed Malta's relationships and member- ships of international or- ganisations but also had to approve the designation of a new restaurant in St Paul's Bay. SEE INSIDE