In 2009, President George Abela presented the nation with a worthy challenge to rise to when he made the surprise announcement that the Istrina annual fund-raising event would no longer dangle the carrot of prizes before those calling in with donations.

At the time President Abela had said, “It was not an easy decision and we looked into the risks, but I am convinced that people will prove that they believe in the real value of solidarity and generosity without needing to be awarded a prize in return.”

The risk of the new format was a calculated one, but it was one that has paid off well − not only in monetary terms but also in terms of bringing the nation together in the true spirit of solidarity and charity.

Those who donated this year once again rose to the challenge despite the threat that the recession may still have some bite left in it, all the talk of today’s cost of living and the uncertainty about the future, and with a looming general election which for some reason tends to see many people, and businesses in particular, tightening the purse strings. 

But despite such potential drawbacks, the people successfully took up the challenge once again this year and did the nation proud in the process when the Boxing Day fund-raiser brought in funds of €3.3 million by an estimated 100,000 donors – a fresh record for the country’s leading fund-raising event. On Wednesday, the country came together as one to lend a helping hand to those less fortunate and they did so in an admirable and inspiring fashion.

When it comes down to the things that are really important, the experience of last Wednesday showed that the Maltese people could indeed band together for a good cause.  Our collective heart is still beating strongly and it is in the right place.

The President said this week that the Maltese people have showed how highly they value unity and solidarity, especially when it comes to those in need. Mindful of an approaching general election, the President also urged politicians to ensure that these values are kept alive during what is expected to be a lively two-month race to the polling booths, despite the differences in opinion between parties.

Soon after this holiday season, on 7 January, that unity will be put to the test in what is expected to be one of the most heated election campaigns on record − with an incumbent governing party that has been through hell and high water in the past year and with an Opposition leader facing his first test at the general election polls. And if the experience from the past few months is anything to go by, with premature billboard campaigns and all the high jinx on state television of late, those seeking to be elected as well as the electors are in for one rough ride.

In last week’s Milied Flimkien messages to the nation, the country’s leaders – the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, the President and the Archbishop − appealed for national unity in view of the upcoming general election campaign.

And while some might say that what the country needs is more unity, perhaps the Prime Minister said it best last weekend when he remarked that the coming general election will be an exercise aimed at achieving the best result for the country. It is, after all, through conflict that the best paths forward for the country are forged.  Opposition leader Joseph Muscat also stressed that Malta is fortunate to be united in values and ideals, irrespective of political opinions.

But that conflict must be tempered with a good dose of mutual respect, which is sorely lacking in the current political atmosphere – in which the Opposition has pulled just about every trick in the book over the last year to force an early election, and with a governing party that has done likewise to prevent that early election.

But as the two main political parties, both of which have a lot to prove this time around at the polls, prepare to remove their gloves for the fist fight that is to come, the best we can hope for is a fair fight. Following the somewhat shaky political ceasefire for the Christmas season, and the general post-holiday general feeling of good will, any particularly nasty mudslinging will certainly not go down well with the electorate.

As in the case of this year’s l-Istrina, generosity and unity go hand-in-hand and the Maltese people, whatever the coming campaign holds in store, will no doubt remain united as one people after the ballots are counted and they will hopefully even better this year’s massive demonstration of unity and generosity when l-Istrina 2013 rolls around.