Malta · Series: Constitutional History of Malta, 3rd issue, 1921 Self-Government

Malta had been under British rule since the early 19th century and formally became a British Crown Colony in 1814. Although advisory and partly elected representative bodies had already existed, political decision-making remained largely in the hands of the British governor and the colonial administration. Demands for greater participation were linked to disputes over taxes, supplies, language and the position of the Catholic Church.

After the First World War, economic hardship, unemployment and rising food prices intensified tensions. On 7 June 1919, protests against the colonial administration took place in Valletta. British soldiers fired on the demonstrators; four Maltese people died as a result of the unrest. The incident, known as “Sette Giugno”, increased political pressure to grant Malta its own government institutions.

The new constitutional order introduced a bicameral parliament with a legislative assembly and a senate. A Maltese government could be formed from the parliamentary majority and was responsible for some internal affairs. At the same time, certain areas, particularly defence and foreign policy, remained reserved to the British Crown and the governor. Because of this division, the system is often referred to as dyarchy, that is, divided rule. It was not yet state independence, but limited self-government within the British Empire.

The constitutional order did not prove permanently stable. Disputes between Maltese parties, the Church and the colonial administration led to the suspension of self-government at times. Nevertheless, it created a Maltese government responsible to parliament for the first time.

The occasion formed part of a Maltese coin series on stages in constitutional history. The series also covered the introduction of elected representatives, later parliamentary reforms, independence in 1964 and the proclamation of the Republic in 1974. Self-government formed an intermediate step in this sequence between colonial participation and statehood.