In a country like Malta, which boasts of and is acknowledged as warm and friendly, politicians have a long-term duty and responsibility to keep our nation together and of fostering unity among our people.

As I emphasised in my inaugural speech when I took the oath of office as President of Malta and as I have reiterated over these past two years, the strengthening of unity is vital for the well-being of our country in every sense.

As leaders, we should dedicate our lives to work tirelessly for long-term unity if we truly have the good of our people at heart.

Unity is not a convenience but a must for our nation’s well-being. Unity is not attained off-the-shelf – it is a hard-won value that is achieved by everyone’s efforts, through respect, dignity and tolerance.

Throughout the years, we have had our fair share of rifts. My generation lived through the 1960s and the 1980s with much trepidation. We still recall the suffering that many people went through and the social isolation and prejudices they had to endure for years. Many of us believe, demand and expect that such incidents, resulting from destructive divergences and political short-sightedness, are relegated to history.

‘We cannot allow our democracy to be diluted’

As a modern nation, we pride ourselves on being a respected member of the European Union, and enjoy international admiration as a result of the hard-earned endeavours achieved over the past decades by our various statesmen and leaders.

We are duty bound to safeguard these achievements and have the responsibility to enhance these endeavours even further, for present and future generations.

This is a duty call. Our children deserve to enjoy this unique country, which has successfully overcome all sorts of challenges.

Likewise, the advances we made over the years, both economically and socially, are too precious to undermine. It will not only be a loss for us at present but it will definitely be a misfortune for our children.

We cannot allow our democracy to be diluted. We cannot shed our responsibilities for short-term political gains. This will only serve the few and not our nation.

We must rise above the party political pique, which frequently creates undignified and bitter situations.

We need to recognise the fact that there is nothing wrong with offering constructive criticism towards each other.

On the contrary, constructive criticism strengthens democracy. In reality, it is the norm in a democracy to criticise, to protest and to tender arguments and counter arguments. And it is the duty of our political leaders to make sure that these never escalate into dangerous situations.

It always takes two to tango. Hence, on behalf of the people, I urge our political leaders to realise that short-term gains achieved by escalating tempers will not serve the purpose of our nation but will only serve the short-sightedness, once again, of the few.

Malta and the Maltese expect and deserve much better. The Maltese expect common sense and wisdom to prevail.

Unfortunately, we are already experiencing exchanges of insults and unbecoming discourse between family members and friends, particularly on social media.

Such negative interactions between us are not only hurtful but they instill a sense of disquiet and anxiety among our families and our communities.

I therefore appeal to everyone to respect one another through our words and actions, whether verbally or through the social media. Irrational discourse can and will bring divisions and harmful divergences within our families, our communities and at our places of work.

Just as some of us still remember the old wounds, let us not reopen such abhorrence and let us be careful not to instill hatred among ourselves. We have a duty to ensure that history does not repeat itself.

We have a duty to ensure a better life for our children.

We have a duty to ensure prosperity, peace and well-being for future generations.