Declaration
Independence of Malta, 1964
The Malta Independence Act, 1964 ended British responsibility for the government of Malta from a day appointed by Order in Council, which was set as 21 September 1964.
What happened
The Malta Independence Act, 1964, an Act "to make provision for, and in connection with, the attainment by Malta of fully responsible status within the Commonwealth," received Royal Assent on 31 July 1964. Section 1(1) provided: "On and after such day as Her Majesty may by Order in Council appoint (in this Act referred to as 'the appointed day') Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom shall have no responsibility for the government of Malta."[1] Unlike some other independence Acts of the period, the Act itself did not fix the appointed day in its text, leaving it to a subsequent Order in Council; that day was set as 21 September 1964, the date on which Malta became independent. The Malta Labour Party boycotted the independence celebrations, reflecting its unresolved disagreements with the Nationalist government over the constitution.[2][3]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: The Malta Independence Act, 1964, given Royal Assent on 31 July 1964, provided in Section 1(1): "On and after such day as Her Majesty may by Order in Council appoint (in this Act referred to as 'the appointed day') Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom shall have no responsibility for the government of Malta."
- Parliament of the United Kingdom, Malta Independence Act 1964 (Chapter 86) (31 July 1964) link, Section 1. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
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2.
Claim: The appointed day under Section 1 of the Malta Independence Act, 1964, left to be fixed by a later Order in Council, was set as 21 September 1964, the date of Malta's independence.
- United Nations Dag Hammarskjöld Library, Index to Proceedings of the General Assembly, Nineteenth Session (United Nations) link, index entry. Source record Consulted via a UN library index rather than the Order in Council itself.
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3.
Claim: Premier George Borg Olivier of the Nationalist Party led the Maltese delegation to a constitutional conference in London beginning 13 July 1963, at the end of which Britain announced that Malta would become independent. The Malta Labour Party, led by Dom Mintoff, had campaigned instead for integration with the United Kingdom or full self-determination, and afterward put forward six conditions of its own for the independence constitution; disagreement over the extent of powers Britain would retain continued into 1964, and the Labour Party boycotted the independence celebrations that September.
- State of Malta (Wikipedia) link, Path to independence section. Source record
- How Malta Became Independent: The Long Road to the 21st of September 1964 (Yellow.com.mt) link, article text. Source record