Most companies operating in the commercial sector, especially those in the retailing and distributive operations, tend to look forward to Christmas as this represents the time of the year when their level of activity peaks. There are several companies which claim that as much as 50 per cent of their sales turnover is generated during the month in the run-up to Christmas, and the two weeks after that, in the case of those that offer hefty price discounts on their products (more commonly known as sales). Although the total amount of money spent during these six weeks is not known, one can rightly assume that this reaches a significant level.

On the other hand, a news item that appeared on the web in the last weeks is that two per cent of the world's population own 50 per cent of the wealth created in this world. The situation in Malta is different, even if there are situations in this country where people experience poverty. This time of the year is referred to by different people as "the season to be jolly", "the season of goodwill", "a time of giving". In fact there are several initiatives during this period where people are encouraged to think of those less fortunate and give donations for the poor.

I have always believed that an economy can only thrive if we create a cohesive, inclusive and participatory society. Achieving a fairer distribution of income without stifling initiative and entrepreneurship, where work and wealth creation is incentivised, and where profit is not a dirty word, is an objective that we should have. Not achieving this objective would mean that some or many would lose out on opportunities, thereby creating conflict.

I think that it is very significant that the previous Prime Minister and the current one have always sought to promote the value of solidarity in our society, while actively seeking to promote economic growth.

Contrary to what some may believe, solidarity and economic growth go hand in hand and do not conflict with each other.

It has been considered to be the role of the government to create a cohesive, inclusive and participatory society. The government fulfils this role through its fiscal policy, namely in the manner in which it allocates its expenditure and in the taxation system that it adopts.

However, the government is severely limited in fulfilling this role if the rest of society does not believe in and actively support such an objective.

It is what we do together, and not individually, that will secure a future of opportunity for one and all. This does not mean that we should create a society where dependence is a way of life. It means rather that we should have more interdependence and, through such interdependence, we would have a fair contribution to and a fair benefit from the gains of our economy.

Interdependence does not mean cash handouts. It means rather a well-developed educational system that guarantees inclusion all the way and that provides more than one chance to the individual.

It means a functioning health system that makes available to all the advantages of modern medicine. It means an adequate social security net that provides support to those who fall on hard times. It also means paying the taxes which are due, as after all it is only through the payment of such taxes that we can afford to pay for the expenditure in education, health and social security.

This period of the year is indeed a time of giving. However, we should not be simply giving donations to those in need just to quieten our conscience for the rest of the year. It is a time of giving because we need to be reminded of our social responsibilities during the rest of the year.

We should be helping those in need because we truly believe that social cohesion, through more inclusiveness and more participation, creates a better society, and hence a stronger economy.