Last Sunday, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat called for national unity as Malta celebrates the 50th anniversary of our independence. The Nationalist Party welcomed this statement.

In the past years, the days of national unity ironically served to increase polarisation. Coming together as nation to celebrate our national days is certainly important. But, it is not enough.

Our bipolar political system, which served us well in many ways, has one underlying defect. It created an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality which, unfortunately, is still prevalent in our society.

The call for unity during national day celebrations is a step in the right direction. It is a positive gesture, even if it does not quite mirror what is happening on the ground.

For while the past 50 years since independence have seen a growing political maturity within a more discerning younger generation and less political tensions, there remains an ingrained sense of political tribalism within certain parts of our population and some of our political class.

The line separating the political divide has not necessarily become fainter with time.

The challenge facing our country, 50 years on from our independence, is how to change this mentality of ‘winner takes all’.

The challenge facing our country is how to change the mentality of winner takes all

As a nation, we need to realise that true independence can only be achieved if we recognise the importance of working together. That every man, and woman, counts. That we are too small a population to afford to discard talent.

We need to harness all the energy, all the abilities and ideas of our nation and use these as the platform to take the country forward.

It has to be an inclusive platform, a platform that does not discriminate on the basis of political bias.

Our country made great economic and political strides in the past 50 years. We redefined our economy over and over again to retain a competitive edge. We were not scared to let go of non-productive sectors and to give birth to new areas of economic activity.

The changes were not without pain, but the pain was not in vain.

As a result of the changes that happened over the years, our economy grew and continued to move forward even in the most turbulent of economic times.

Over the next years, our country will continue to experience economic changes. I, for one, would be worried if this is not the case.

The moment we stop changing is the moment we become economically irrelevant. We started off as a fortress economy, gradually introduced tourism, then manufacturing and eventually opened up to the services industry.

We need to start thinking seriously about the steps ahead. We need to ensure that our economy continues to provide opportunities for all sectors of society.

Every person should be able to contribute to his and the nation’s well-being. The services sector is important but it cannot become the only provider of economic wealth. Our manufacturing and retail sector is currently struggling.

The Nationalist Party is calling on government to draw up a strategy to breathe new life into these areas. But we also need to work hard on identifying new niche areas that can provide economic growth for tomorrow.

We are prepared to work with government to this end.

The challenges we shall be facing will not only be economic. The world is unfortunately passing through a difficult time. We are seeing borders redefined, people exiled from their lands and shocking acts of barbarism.

As a nation, we should be evaluating the risks posed by these unfortunate events.

Is the world going to go through another economic meltdown? What happens if we end up with a failed state as a neighbour? The complex issue of irregular immigration is going to get worse.

As a country, we need to find a common position on these and other issues such as the sustainability of our healthcare and social welfare system. We need to work together to safeguard the environment for future generations.

These issues require a common front that crosses over the political divide. This front should be forged on the contribution of all those who have the country’s interest at heart. Wouldn’t this be a much more significant way of celebrating our independence rather than by simply having politicians stand side by side during some official function?

The PN played a major role in the development of this nation over the past 50 years, as did the Labour Party. Alternattiva Demokratika, even if unrepresented in Parliament, played a role towards putting the environment and political accountability higher on each party’s agenda.

The challenge we face today as a PN is how to remain relevant in the 50 years to come.

The answer to this question is for the party to become inclusive, more representative of the changing society that we live in, while keeping at the centre of our agenda the potential and welfare of each individual.

Faith in the party will not grow because of what we did in the past but on how we can project this country forward.

We have to base this future vision on interdependence as the natural evolution of independence.

Mario de Marco is deputy leader of the Nationalist Party