In his address to the nation for New Year's Day, the Prime Minister made a strong emphasis on the importance of unity.
"My appeal for the New Year is one for unity. Let's work together to find solutions to the issues affecting our people," Robert Abela said. "United, we are greater than the sum of our parts. Unity is far greater than resentment."
Wonderful words, indeed.
But by the end of the address it was clear that Abela did not really mean it.
Not because of what he said, but because of what he did not say.
The Prime Minister said that during the course of 2024 Malta celebrated 50 years of being a Republic. Nothing wrong with that; it's part of our history and 50 years is an important milestone. But Abela then failed to make reference to the fact that, also in 2024, Malta celebrated 60 years as an independent nation. That was also an important chapter of Malta's history, and the first step towards the country becoming a republic.
It was not an oversight. It was a deliberate omission to minimise the significance of Independence.
Abela spoke of unity, but then divided the nation by mentioning one specific historical event without mentioning the other, knowing that this is a particularly sensitive subject.
It is an omission that did not go unnoticed, one that exposes Abela's true colours.
A Prime Minister who speaks of unity and emphasises its importance should have put partisanship aside and alluded to Independence Day in the same way that he did for Republic Day. All it would have taken was another line in his speech. It would have been enough.
But Abela opted not to speak about Independence.
By so doing, he threw away all his talk about the importance of being united. If Abela really wanted to stress the need on having a united country, he should have been the first to set an example.
A Prime Minister, when addressing the nation, should rise above partisan politics.
Last Wednesday, Abela was not speaking at a Labour Party mass meeting or delivering his Sunday sermon during a Labour Party activity. He was supposedly speaking as the Prime Minister of the whole nation, whatever the voting preferences of those who were listening to him. By overlooking Independence, he rendered his New Year's Day speech as yet another occasion of political propaganda directed solely at his supporters. He was speaking as the leader of a political party, not as a Prime Minister.
Conversely, in his New Year's Day address to the nation as Opposition Leader, Bernard Grech mentioned both Independence Day and Republic Day. And he went one step further. Apart from referring to the 60 years of Independence and 50 years as a Republic, Grech also pointed out two other anniversaries which were celebrated last year - 45 years since the closure of the British military base and 20 years of European Union membership.
Grech rose above political partisanship; Abela did not.
We have had decades of controversy with regard to Independence and Republic Day, so much so that to this day we have five national holidays - these two, Freedom Day, Our Lady of Victories and Sette Giugno.
This polemic stems from the fact that Independence was obtained under a Nationalist government in 1964, while Malta became a Republic, 10 years later in 1974, under a Labour government.
Since then, we have had whole arguments about which of the two days is most important. The Labour government added further fuel to the raging fire when in 1977 it had removed Independence Day from being a national holiday, and for a whole decade it was "celebrated" only by the Nationalist Party.
Independence Day was restored to its full significance as a national holiday in 1987, but over the years the importance given to the two historical achievements depended on who was seated in Castille. Each time the PN was in government, Independence Day took pride of place in the national calendar. And each time Labour was in power, it was Republic day which was highlighted.
Just take last year as an example - the 60th anniversary of Independence was given little value by the Labour government. Conversely, the 50th anniversary of Republic Day was celebrated with pomp and ceremony. The difference was there for all to see. In 2024, Independence Day was afforded a fraction of the importance - and expenses - that was given to Republic Day.
And, with his omission in his speech for the New Year, Abela instigated even more division on the matter while advocating unity.
The PM cannot be believed that he is looking for unity when he ignored an important milestone in the country's history simply because it had not been achieved by the political party he represents.