The 46th anniversary of Malta becoming a Republic was celebrated in Gozo on Saturday evening with a concert which was concluded with a speech by President of Malta George Vella.
The concert, by three soloists of the La Stella Philharmonic Society of Victoria, Gozo, was held in Independence Square and was organised by the National and Regional Celebrations Committee together with the Culture Unit at the Ministry for Gozo.
While acknowledging all those who over the years have worked in the political, social, and spiritual fields to get our country to where it is today, the President observed that Malta is lucky to have had people who had not only ability but also insight. He reminded those present that, whenever the Maltese people came together, they were able to reach their goals.
The President’s speech, however, focused mainly on the present and the future, as well as on the need for us as a nation to learn from our mistakes and ensure that we have moral authority. He stressed that we achieved the Republic 46 years ago, but today we are the only ones responsible for it. He expressed his fear that, despite all the goals and targets we may have for the coming years, there are things that will hinder us from reaching our destination if they go unaddressed. In this context, he emphasised the importance of investing heavily in education, especially because we have no resources other than human resources, in order to bring out the potential of the younger generation and thus be able to achieve our goals.
On this occasion, the head of state once again expressed his sadness at the fact that the Maltese people are too antagonistic, not in a positive sense but in a destructive way, and that, now more than ever before, there is a division in the country: “If in this country we are not united, if we do not work together, we will be wasting a lot of energy and we will be wasting what we can use not to move backward or stay where we are, but to move forward.” He made it clear that this does not mean that rivalries, including political rivalry, can cease altogether, but that it has its limits. Instead of trying to break or destroy those who disagree with us, we should do everything possible to work together for the common good, despite our differences.
The President remarked that, despite the general impression that the country’s leaders dictate what should happen, they also react to what the people ask of them and show them they want. If the nation demands fairness, transparency and accountability from its leaders, the leaders will no doubt have to listen and act according to the wishes of the people. He called on the people to learn from the past; to look at what we have done well and do our best to uphold what is right and correct: “Where we can pave certain roads and straighten them, and remove certain things that are harming and disrupting us, let us do whatever it takes to get there. Then, we will be able to claim that we are an educated country, a civilised country, and a country that is politically united and that knows where it wants to go. When we have clear goals and the people are united, we will be able to speak in international fora, with head held high, on the values of how countries should be run. We cannot preach to others in fora – it is easy to make a speech, to write it and read it out – and then we look at what is happening in our country, or they point out at what is happening in our country and embarrass us. I am saying this with a sincere spirit, from the heart, and I want to hammer this message home so that we can move forward and, year after year, we will come and congratulate ourselves for having strengthened the Republic, not only in name, but in deed.”
Photo: OPR
