Whenever politicians invite the nation to unite, they never actually mean "Let our nation unite." What they really mean is: "Come! Let us all unite... around me."

It's all double talk - spin - upon which our present politicians rely so heavily. At best, it might mean absolutely nothing: just a carefully prepared statement, so that they can be seen to have said something - something that can be picked up and used in the media for more personal publicity.

But, even worse, in this case our politicians are confusing their own personal interest (or that of their own party) with that of the nation. Their statements of unity really suggest that the citizens or party members unite around them. What our political leaders are really telling us with these statements is: "I'm in trouble. I'm under attack by the people; stop attacking me and join me so that this togetherness will be seen as me actually doing something about the grave issue at hand." 

Given the present state of the country, it is seriously worrying to see them both of them collectively spinning this same message, at the same time, for the last two weeks. We should be very worried that, at a time when the nation feels threatened, angry and confused, we do not get a proper and much-needed response. Instead of showing real leadership, they show a serious lack of it and just throw spin at us.

Neither of them is acting properly or constructively for our benefit. But the response from the people to all this wrong behaviour, however, is most heartening. The people are not stupid and a repetitive 'unite (around me)' just does not cut it at all anymore.

You see, true unity would be around some fundamental value - such as ending corruption or ensuring that journalists aren't murdered. It should never be so that we ensure that some person or party stays in power, regardless of the people's wish for reformation.

So when one looks at them both, one has to ask them: "Unite around what, exactly?" Should we unite around the PN, which bombards us with 24/7 deceitful propaganda that what has just happened in Malta was "another political slaying"? Should we unite with someone who seems to be delighting in unnecessarily opening up old wounds purely for political gain whilst asking us to unite (around me)?

The people are not stupid. This is not a political slaying. This is nothing but a criminal murder. And let us be clear, criminals commission the slaying of one their own. Not real politicians. 

It is a criminal murder and PN media is trying to persuade us to unite (around me) because of a political murder. Wrong! And we must not be detracted by or unite with the very people whose "non-political actions" Ms Caruana Galizia fought so hard to expose, anyway.

Should we instead then unite instead with 'tghana lkoll' who have knowingly thrown away one sound and moral principle after another? The me, who has sought to chase after people with BIG money (of dubious source) in order to sell our name, our reputation, our land and our citizenship as long as they are willing to pay and the price is right; the tghana lkoll which does not seriously look into the many cases of clear corruption and does not defend whistleblowers, even when the lives of their children are directly threatened?

Should we, in fact, be thinking of rallying around either of them when, at a time of high world tension and terrorism all around us, both have introduced one harmful policy after another that make it easier for anyone to come in and out of Malta freely and without appropriate checks and security? Should we rally around those who have given the right to anyone to live and work in our midst with no control whatsoever? For anyone (and there seems to have been thousands of them) who at the right price can travel throughout Malta and Europe, very easily, can set up companies and bank accounts and launder money with no real questions asked?

It seems that, after all, both parties whom we trusted used their power to undermine the institutions that are meant to protect us.  The stories in the papers are the activities throughout both legislatures and that were only accidentally exposed. God alone knows what else there is that we don't even know about.

Whilst they are both happily spinning and ignoring the reality we face, neither are tackling the real issues about which we are most concerned:

- that institutionalised corruption took root and flourished under their watch;

- that this corruption seems massive and out of control;

- that the institutions that should be protecting us have been rendered not fit for purpose;

- that we now feel unsafe in our own country;

- that our leaders do not have real solutions to the mess that they have created?

What exactly should encourage us to put our trust in them once again? Which one of them is actually listening to us and our concerns right now? Which one is actually capable - let alone willing - to tackle the above, real concerns? Which one is willing to even take responsibility?

Which one will start by forcing resignations instead of rejecting our wishes with words like: "Holders of public office have responsibility" and everything/one must therefore remain as is?

We could just sit back and watch the OPM make one gaffe after another. We could watch the PN slip away into the many chasms it seems to have dug all by itself.

But we are living in a very extraordinary time. 

The whole world is watching Malta as it is being savaged by those who call themselves our friends - those who know us well. Euronews, the BBC, CNN, Rai - all are busy painting Malta as the centre of drug-trafficking, gun/explosives-running, human trafficking, money-laundering, corruption, slayings....

They are portraying Malta as the hell on earth, where all the world's misery is turned into hard cash. 

These so-called friends are butchering our country and reputation and our two leaders are bickering away for political advantage ('unite around me') or busy selling more passports.

Our friends at the EU are not holding back either:

'We owe it to Daphne to eradicate Maltese corruption' - Sophia Veld - ALDE

'The entire Maltese government should resign' - Monica Macovei - ECR

'Daphne's murder exposed links between crime and power'- Miguel Urban Crespo - GUE/NGL

'The eyes of Europe are fixed on Malta' - Frank Timmermans, EC Vice-President

'This reminded me of the Mafia' - Gianni Pittella, S&D

'Malta has sold its sovereignty to dirty money' - Sven Giegold, Greens.

And no traditional party is defending us. Our decent reputation is also being assassinated. No one is putting us first. 

In other countries at extraordinary times, the PM and the Leader of the Opposition put political division to the side and act collectively in the national interest.

They should also be working already to come up with mutually agreed ways forward to strengthen the institutions that they themselves have neutered. There is no need for lengthy Constitutional changes and think tanks, etc. That process will take too long to produce solutions and even longer to agree upon anything, by which time our international reputation will be irreversibly ruined. 

Strengthen our police force in a way that it can function properly (decent wages, insurance against injury, decent and proper equipment, training, accountability and discipline); a respected force that can work without any further interference from either of you. Protect whistle-blowers seriously and do not intimidate them or their families as has happened in recent years.

Unless we see some serious changes, we should not be afraid to refuse to support them. We, the decent people, still want our country back. We want law and order once again and we should not allow them to use us for more of the same.

Ultimately, we should be brave enough to stop feeding the monster that we ourselves have created.

It does not take much to reject the both of them, just as Mrs Caruana Galizia did. And if she was willing to pay such a high price to make real change happen, then we too can also make a much smaller effort to keep her alive by working for the change she wanted to happen: a change that starts within each and every one of us is the only thing worth uniting for.

Unity is plural.