Barely had five days elapsed from the President’s heartfelt speech during the Republic Day investiture ceremony, when the leader of the Opposition and, later, his deputy leader, Beppe Fenech Adami, had made their usual highly divisive and negative speeches and comments, thus rubbishing all that the President had appealed for in her memorable address.

It is indeed a pity that the Nationalist Party is saddled with such a leader and deputy leader who not only ignore wise counsel from well-known PN media pundits but have also seemed to pass a message that they could not care less on what the President had said during her widely acclaimed speech.

In contrast, we heard the Prime Minister make a truly unifying speech, devoid of any insulting or disparaging remarks - as was the case with the leader and deputy leader of the PN – so soon after the President had appealed to all politicians to refrain from “mud-slinging” and resort more to “positive politics”.

What a pity.