[WATCH] President appeals for unity in Christmas Eve message

President Marie Louise Coleiro Preca has appealed for national unity and respect for one another in her Christmas Eve message to the nation.

She said she wished that Christmas could be not only a time of celebration, but also one where people reflected on the values “that have guided us since our ancestors’ time”.

“I would like us to reflect on that which makes us Maltese. The language, the flag, the anthem, the traditions, the feasts, the traditional food – but I believe that what makes us Maltese the most is the fact that we still care about each other,” said Coleiro Preca.

She said that the values of respect and solidarity have always been fundamental for the Maltese people and were essential values upon which the nation built strong relationships which led to Malta being a friend to everyone.

“It is for the reason that I believe that we must continue to promote respectful dialogue,” she said, adding that this needed to include various and diverse communities of people living in Malta.

“Whatever the cultural differences, or differences in beliefs, ethnicity, origin, status, sexual or political orientation, we must continue to respect each other, always.”

Coleiro Preca said that Christmas should also be a time of reflection, on why the some were not able to express their opinion respectfully. She questioned why rather than use social media to communicate, educate and inform, some chose to use it for insults and threats. “Why do some among us prefer division to harmony?”

“I fear that if as a nation, we no longer care about each other, because we don’t respect each other, we end up like others. Where respect has been lost, because egoism has grown, entire nations have been disrupted and experienced suffering, from divisions to conflicts,” said the President.

Finally Coleiro Preca said she hoped that Christmas and the New Year would give people the opportunity to show more solidarity with those most in need, insisting that even the smallest gesture could make a world of difference.

“These holidays should not only be about celebration, but an invitation for us to change,” she said.

“Together we must continue working to make our Malta, a place where we, as Maltese are recognizable by our solidarity and respect towards each other.”