Referendum in Malta 2011

Ever since the government declared that the question of whether or not divorce should be introduced in Malta would be put to a referendum vote, we have been bombarded with articles in support of either the "yes" or the "no" camps.

Eventually, many people, myself included, experienced campaign fatigue as they were fed up of the onslaught of billboards, leaflets, pamphlets and phone calls they received trying to convince them to go one way or the other. Last Saturday, young and old turned out to mark an x on their ballot paper and have their say.

Malta's people have voted and sent a clear message to the government and church. With a turnout of 72%, the Yes vote garnered a 53.2% majority win.

Slowly it seems Malta is moving towards more secular principles something I personally believe has been should have happened a long time ago.

I am proud to be Maltese and living on an island where the will of the people is respected by the government they elect to represent them.

I look forward to the introduction of laws protecting minorities groups and while respecting everyone's right to their own beliefs I hope that one day we can truly shake off our xenophobic fears and embrace everyone regardless of their differences.