President to institute voluntary work award

President George Abela said today that he intends to institute a President's Award for Voluntary Work this year - it being the international year of voluntary work.

He made the announcement as he greeted the Prime Minister and the Cabinet for an exchange of New Year greetings at the Palace.

Dr Abela said the country was facing social challenges. This year was the Year of Voluntary Work. Malta was fortunate to have a thriving voluntary sector and he planned to institute a President's Award to recognise outstanding work by an individual or voluntary NGO, as such acts helped to transmit the value of solidarity. He also thanked all those who had contributed to L-Istrina, without expecting anything in return.

Dr Gonzi in greeting Dr and Mrs Abela congratulated them for recently becoming grand-parents and said he wished to extend such greetings to all grand-parents.

The Prime Minister said three words were suited for the time Malta was going through - courage, determination and solidarity.

Courage because Malta was taking the tough decisions to help it overcome a tough economic scenario. Unemployment, he observed, was lower than the EU average, and tourism had reached a new record.

Determination because the government and the people needed to continue to work for the national and common good and solidarity because some people needed help. In this context, the President was a magnet of the value of solidarity.

Dr Gonzi said he looked to the future with optimism.

The President later also greeted Opposition leader and Mrs Muscat.

The Cabinet and the Opposition also made separate calls on Archbishop Paul Cremona.

Dr Gonzi thanked the Archbishop for the values which he imparted and said such values were a priceless guide for the tough decisions which the country took. The New Year would put such values to the test, particularly with regard to the value of the family. The state, he said, would continue to see how it could best help families overcome their difficulties.

Archbishop Cremona referred to the Pope's Peace Day message on religious freedom. He insisted that the people needed to have not just the physical but also the moral space to express their beliefs.

People who wanted to live a good life should not face an uphill battle to do so, he said, and it should actually be the other way around.

Did it make sense for believers to shut down their faith in order to be active in society and not be marginalised?

Dr Muscat said 2011 might see the introduction of new civil rights and he hoped everyone would be free to debate and decide. He also called for renewed commitment for the creation of new and secure jobs.