September 11 anniversary - resilience

The memory of the two planes crashing into the two skyscrapers in New York on September 11 last year will remain impressed in our minds for a very long time.

It will be extremely difficult to forget the smoke emerging from the Twin Towers and the dramatic disintegration and collapse of those majestic structures.

I cannot bear to imagine the terror, the desperation and the hopelessness of those poor souls who were trapped in the World Trade Centre.

Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami, speaking on the granaries on the eve of the Independence Day anniversary celebrations, reiterated that Malta would be actively supporting the war against terrorism and that we as a people could not remain neutral in the face of such acts of terrorism.

A year has passed since this traumatic incident - a terrorist attack that succeeded in destabilising world affairs and global economies.

September 11 was an event which marked a unique and important historical change, one that brought about incalculable financial losses to the travel and tourism industry worldwide.

Malta was hit by the shockwaves of the events too. Our booming tourist industry suffered as a consequence and our manufacturing industry, which depends almost totally on export, was also adversely affected.

Both the government and private enterprise rallied together and did a damage limitation exercise to ensure that the economy would not suffer unduly.

In fact, looking back, notwithstanding the September 11 setback, Malta fared reasonably well in keeping up the momentum in the face of these major tragic events.

Gradually, confidence was regained, and business started picking up again. This 'never say die' attitude is ever present throughout all the significant stages of our rich and eventful history.

This fortitude and resilience is what makes us successful, and it is with this collective sense of duty that we can overcome the great dilemmas, which haunt our nation today.