Family business

The family was at the centre of the messages the country’s leaders delivered yesterday at the start of the annual Milied Flimkien campaign at the Palace in Valletta.

President George Abela said the family remained the bedrock of society where children learnt values and found stability, while Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the country’s new year’s resolution had to be to safeguard and nurture the family, shortly after Archbishop Paul Cremona called for parents to spend more time with their children.

Dr Abela also said that Malta did not deserve those who took the law into their own hands, while opposition leader Joseph Muscat spoke of the importance of solidarity with victims of crime.

This was the first time Dr Abela has made the traditional address since his appointment as President in 2009. Last year, he was still recovering after fainting during the funeral of a friend.