The State has the obligation to protect life from beginning to end, Nationalist Party leader Bernard Grech said.
In a message for the New Year, Grech said that life must be protected “in every stage and condition”, a clear reference to the ongoing debate in Parliament on the government’s push to legalise abortion when the mother’s health is in danger.
Grech did not mention the word abortion, but his message was clear: the dignity of the person must be respected from the first moment of its existence. This is more so for those who are the weakest and have no voice.
Grech said that what the Maltese people showed over the past year was that they endorse the value of solidarity in droves, not only through their financial contributions in activities such as L-Istrina.
We should work to sustain this value of generosity, which is shown in cultural, sport and social activities which serve as a backdrop for action towards the needy.
He said that families have always been the basis on which Maltese society has grown, and through which we have managed to overcome the stiffest of challenges on our way to create a sovereign Malta based on the values of democracy, freedom, work and justice.
He said employees in the health, education, social work and other sectors need to continue to receive the tools with which to carry out their important duties efficiently.
While we have made great strides forward, we know that much more needs to be done for everyone’s quality of life to improve.
Life is the greatest value, and it is sad to note the number of deaths that are happening on our roads and in the construction industry. Every one of them can be avoided, Grech said.
The PN leader added that one should not remain passive in the face of growing poverty, with a rising inflation which has made things even more difficult during 2022.
We should not remain passive when the education and health sectors are losing out on programmes which were previously organised by the State in conjunction with NGOs.
He said that we should neither remain passive as young people continue to say they prefer to leave Malta to live abroad. We must find out what is leading them to make such a choice and be more committed to give them better options in Malta.
Grech said that we should also not remain passive when we see lack of ethics in the highest levels. He said that during 2022 it was possible to reach an agreement on the appointment of persons who oversee the behaviour of others, including MPs, but no such accord was made. Grech was referring to the lack of agreement on the appointment of an ombudsman and a standards commissioner.