Every year on the Saturday before Christmas, the country’s four leaders – the President, the Prime Minister, the Opposition Leader and the Archbishop – gather in Valletta for their traditional Milied Flimkien speeches.

And every year the political leaders preach their messages of unity in this intensely politically-divided country of ours. And every year those messages fade as quickly as the festive season, and they are forgotten much quicker.

But who knows, perhaps this year’s messages of unity, delivered yesterday evening, will stick. But if the lasting power of recent Milied Flimkien messages of unity from our political leaders is anything to go by, this year’s platitudes don’t stand much chance of survival beyond next month’s resumption of Parliament.

Politicians need to put their proverbial money where their mouths are, and practise, at least in part, what they preach.  Unity is not just about Christmastime, and our political leaders will earn more of the population’s respect if, at least every once in a while, they unite together for the national interest.

The government and Opposition clearly cannot agree on everything but when there are possible points of convergence they should be exploited and capitalised upon. Not only will the best results be achieved by pooling the resources and ideas of both sides of the House, but those instances of convergence will also send a positive signal to the nation that not all things political are black and white or, rather, red and blue.

And now for our own traditional festive season messages…

l-Istrina: Give and give generously

It’s that time of the year again – Christmas, New Year… and, of course, l-Istrina. It is also that time of year to spare a thought, some hard-earned money and perhaps some time for those less fortunate.

And speaking of unity, it has been truly remarkable that the country manages to outdo itself year after year when it comes to donating to l-Istrina. This shows just how united we can be as a country, despite our sometimes bitter political divides, and how, when united, we can overcome just about any challenge placed before us.

As matters stand, the MCCF is the only national fund that gives financial support to patients suffering from serious illnesses to undergo specialised chemotherapy and treatments for rare or chronic diseases.

Those funds, or lack thereof, affect those people, and their families, at the deepest level possible. And the MCCF helps them in their hours of greatest need, when they are suffering and their lives and families are in a state of complete turmoil.

L-Istrina is about saving lives and if those lives cannot be saved despite the best of efforts, the aim is to give them a better quality of life when they are at their most vulnerable, and to provide some peace of mind for their families, families whose lives have been turned upside down.

Helping these people is what l-Istrina is all about, and that is what the MCCF is all about.

This year, we once again implore the Maltese people and businesses to give and to give generously – one never knows when the shoe will be placed on the other foot and you will find yourself in dire need of the MCCF’s help.

This is the time of year to embrace your fellow citizens, to lend a helping hand to those in need and to show unity and next Saturday’s l-Istrina is a perfect way to do just that.

Drink driving: take a taxi, not a life

Another great way to show unity at this time of year would be to not put your fellow citizens at risk by drunk driving as seasonal festivities kick into full swing next week…with a good measure of joviality and also with perhaps more than a good few measures of alcohol in the system.

We stress the message year after year, and it simply cannot be stressed enough: if you have had one too many, do not drive − take a taxi or public transport…walk or crawl. Get yourself home any way you can but if inebriated, do not get behind the wheel and risk taking a life. Or even better, plan taking a taxi home before you leave the door or, short of that, appoint a designated driver to see you and your loved ones home on what is in effect at once the most jovial night of the year and also the most dangerous for driving.

Statistics show that Malta is among the safest countries in the world for driving – with an average of close to three deaths a year per 100,000 people, compared with the global average of nearly 18 per 100,000 people.

But having said that, and despite the comparative safety of driving in Malta, absolutely no one’s life should be taken or otherwise affected because a driver is over the limit.

We are also lucky to live in a country in which distances are never excessively long. In fact, a half-hour suffices for just about any journey between any two points on the island. Therefore, taxis are not cripplingly costly and public transport has been greatly improved over recent years.

It is really as simple as that. The potential ramifications are simply not worth a gamble, which, if you win, awards you with the prize of having your car outside your front door the morning after. But, if you lose that gamble, the cost can be very expensive indeed, and a complete write-off of an automobile is the least of those costs we are referring to.

Drunk driving deaths and injuries are particularly cruel and needless, ending or ruining lives and leaving traumatised families to pick up the pieces.

So if you’ve had too much, please keep your car keys in your pocket and find any other means to get yourself, your friends and your loved ones home… safely. Instead of ‘one for the road’, make it ‘none for the road”.

Take a taxi, not a life, this festive season.