The business of electing a new President of the Republic to replace the hard-working, incredibly successful George Abela seems to have already been given priority in the national agenda. Of course, it makes sense because the appointment of the Head of State has so much importance attached to it and is a decision that has to be taken as serenely and harmoniously as possible by the House of Representatives.

The general accent on such decisions is rightly expected to be on our representatives choosing ‘a President for all’. This does not mean the new President has to be from outside the world of politics, as some have intimated. In fact, a look at the list of incumbents since the establishment of the Republic in 1974 will show we have had several Presidents who came from a political background but still managed to win the hearts and minds of all Maltese and Gozitan citizens.

So this preoccupation about the background of the person to become our next President is, really, superfluous. The same can be said about the argument that the appointment of the present President after the 2008 general election was an example of ‘what should be done again this time’. The 2008 general election yielded a perverse result in which the Nationalist Party won only a relative majority and so was morally bound and was expected by everybody to make some sort of gesture towards the majority that had, after all, not voted for it.

The scenario today is completely different. The Maltese electorate, in its absolute majority, last March chose the Labour Party, so no one needs feel in duty bound to make any such gestures. However, one has to tread carefully here.

Despite its comfortable majority in the House and nationwide, the government side would do well to make sure – as I am certain it will – that the final choice is not the result of some show of arrogance but, rather, a decision that respects the need for national unity and popular support to whoever receives the honour to become the next Head of State.

We would do well to stop the political filtering

Easier said than done? Possibly, but recent history shows that our representatives in the House have been more right than wrong in their choices. As long as the Head of State is not elected directly by the people, we have to depend on the MPs on both sides of the House of Representatives, all of whom, of course, have their own ideas and favourites for the post, to come up with the right person at this moment in time.

I think they got it spot-on several times before and I can’t see why they shouldn’t do so again this time.

Labour or Nationalist, it is important that we have a President who understands the peculiarities and idiosyncrasies of our small nation, be they political, cultural or otherwise. The President in office has shown he is a master of the art, as did former Presidents, with the odd exception.

The controversy will go on until the big day arrives and we finally see what the Labour Administration and all MPs come up with but it is in itself a very healthy exercise. There is no doubt that various people from all walks of Maltese life deserve to be considered and can be safely referred to as being papabili (electable), even if I prefer to avoid mentioning any names.

‘A President for all’ is both a cliché and a prerequisite but we would do well to stop the political filtering that some do not seem able to avoid applying on such occasions.

joseph@josephcuschieri.com

Joseph Cuschieri is a Labour MEP.