The title of this week's contribution is by no means an original one. It is a slogan often used by trade unionists to impress upon their members the need to stay united if they wish to defend their rights successfully.
Over the past couple of weeks we have also had a number of messages by the country's leaders and other personalities to remain united as a nation, even if we may have (as we should have) diverse opinions, because it is this unity that has helped to reaffirm our independence, even in the most difficult of times.
In the coming months, we shall be called to take a number of very important decisions, the two main ones being the referendum on Malta's membership of the European Union and the general elections. It is critical that popular participation at both events is maximised, so that there are no qualms about what the result could have been if things were different.
Unity is also shown through such a high participation rate, even if the result of both votes is likely to be a close one.
A high participation rate would mean that the people as a whole would have expressed an opinion, even if in a democracy like ours the majority wins, while respecting the views of the minority. In fact, there is no doubt that throughout the negotiations that Malta had with the European Union, the government tried very hard to respect the views of the minority.
The country is going to benefit from certain arrangements because the government continually sought to present a position that reflected the needs of the Maltese population and not necessarily of those who support the party in government.
The arrangement on the shipyards is a case in point. The government knew very well that there were going to be no votes won by seeking a transition period on the aid it gives Malta Drydocks and Malta Shipbuilding. Yet it did it because the livelihood of a large number of families depends on such an arrangement, and took a position that was not guided by any partisan political interest but by national interest.
On this basis, one may question why we should want to join the European Union if unity has helped to reaffirm our independence.
When I was a child attending primary school, in our Maltese reading textbook we had a story of an old man who was about to die. He called his sons and gave them a pile of twigs tied up together and asked each of them to break them up. None of them managed to do so.
He then took the pile of twigs, removed the rope that was holding them together and started breaking them up one by one. The moral of the story was quite evident and reflects what should be our position with regard to the European Union.
One could also mention the biblical saying qasba tixxejjer mar-rih. If Malta were to choose to stay out of the European Union, we would be very much isolated, no matter what arrangements we may enter into with the EU itself and other countries.
In any case, we already have such arrangements we will just be wrapping them in a different paper. This would liken us to the reed that is being pushed in all directions depending on the way the wind blows. It would also liken us to the twig that can be easily broken into pieces if it is not tied to other twigs.
Therefore, the European Union is in effect a union of different peoples, each with its own characteristics (just like we know that the Maltese and the Gozitans have their own characteristics but we belong to one country), and that union gives strength to the individual component members - a strength that they would not have had if there were no EU. This strength is also very evident in the economic sector.
In the aviation industry, there is what might be called a European aircraft - the Airbus. It has been able to take an important share of the world market because a number of EU member states decided to join forces, share their technological expertise, share their marketing knowledge and develop such an aircraft.
If each country had decided to go it alone, the various projects involving the construction of aircraft would have floundered.
We can note the opposite happening in the automotive industry. There are a number of car manufacturers in Europe but there is not yet the project of the European car, because these different car manufacturers have preferred to seek alliances across the Atlantic, in the United States, rather than in Europe itself. The difficulties that the automotive industry is facing in the EU are a proof of the lack of strength when there is no unity.
One can also mention the issue of bilateral and multilateral trade agreements. When Malta becomes an effective member of the EU in May 2004, it would gain access to all trade agreements that the EU has with the various countries around the world.
It would also benefit from any future trade agreements, while having a critical say in the development of the EU position during the negotiations that are constantly going on on the issue of trade within the World Trade Organisation. None of this would happen if we were to choose to stay out of the EU.
The business sector would also benefit from EU funding because we would be members of the EU. We would be able to afford to initiate certain projects thanks to such funds, thereby creating opportunities for business and job opportunities.
The examples that one can mention can be plenty. However, the message is only one and it is very clear. When Malta joins the EU, it would benefit from the opportunities that European unity presents and our strength as a people would grow.
On our own, we would lose all that strength and our economy would effectively become like a reed pushed in all directions by the winds of international politics.