The House of Representatives yesterday approved Dr George Abela to become the eighth President of Malta. The motion to nominate Dr Abela, a lawyer and former deputy leader of the Labour Party, was proposed by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and seconded by Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat.

Dr Gonzi said this was a solemn moment in Malta's history. The Presidency was the highest constitutional and institutional office. Even if the President was viewed as being a figurehead, the incumbency was crucial because it represented all the people. The most important element of the Presidency was that it promoted national unity.

Malta was a small country, and every individual had his value and needed to be respected and allowed to contribute.

The nomination of Dr Abela was a historic moment which reflected unity and which had been greeted by most of the people. Of course, some disagreed, but clearly, this was an opportunity for the country which deserved to be grasped.

Dr Gonzi thanked all former Presidents and those who had forged Malta's constitutional history.

He recalled how, last December 29, he had written to the Leader of the Opposition proposing Dr Abela for the Presidency. They had had a meeting early in January and agreed to submit the proposal to their respective parliamentary groups. He regretted that the proposal had reached the media at such an early stage, but that was now in the past.

Dr Gonzi said Dr Abela was being nominated for the Presidency because of his qualities and abilities for the Office.

Throughout his life, he had demonstrated integrity and honesty in different spheres. He loved his country and he loved his family, in what was a continuation of the values of the Maltese people championed by the Fenech Adami Presidency.

Dr Abela also championed human dignity, solidarity and work as the ingredients which gave dignity to the human being. He also gave deserved importance to Maltese culture, young people and sport.

Dr Gonzi said that naturally, other people also had these qualities, including some of his closest friends, and they too would have been very suitable for the Presidency. But the country had reached a new phase in its constitutional and political development, and he was certain that the people felt they should take a step forward. The very choice of Dr Abela marked a break from the practice where the President came from the government's political camp.

Up to some time ago, Dr Abela had been one of the leading candidates for the leadership of the Labour Party. But experience had shown that all those who served in the Presidency had managed, from day one, to rise above partisan politics. He was sure Dr Abela would do likewise.

Dr Abela and all politicians now had a responsibility to ensure that this political maturity was allowed to yield dividends for the country, concluded Dr Gonzi. Opposition Leader Joseph Muscat said he believed that Dr Abela would be the President of everybody from day one. He did not need to convince anyone.

When Dr Gonzi had proposed Dr Abela to him, his instinctive reaction had been to accept immediately, Dr Muscat said, but he obviously had to consult his colleagues.

It was good that the Presidency was again to be occupied by a person who had not served in Parliament, showing that the Office was not the monopoly of former MPs. His app-ointment would instil new energy into the Office. It was a powerful signal that this country needed to move forward as one. This unity needed to percolate down to all members of society, especially where the government had a say.

The three elements which were likely to define the Abela Presidency were the value of work, especially in these hard times; the lay role of the state in a society of different beliefs; and the philanthropic aspect of the Presidency, including a revamp of the Community Chest Fund.

Dr Muscat was confident that Dr Abela would make the country proud.

The motion was unanimously approved.

The House adjourned to Saturday at noon, when Dr Abela will take the oath of office.

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