There are republics whose President is chosen from a political group, with a political programme, a political campaign, voting and an election. One may in this case speak of a victory of a political camp and of a political person. This happens in countries like France and the United States of America.

There are also republics where, ideally, the government and, less ideally, the Prime Minister, choose a President for the republic (Am I allowed to split hairs between “President of the republic” and “President for the republic”?) from among political persons in their own camp.

There is no country where a Prime Minister, and still less a government, chooses as President a political person from the opposite camp – unless we believe the least, normal interest in politics makes one a politician in the opposite camp. If we say a Prime Minister has done so we are diminishing in our eyes the intelligence of that Prime Minister.

It is also practically impossible for a Prime Minister or a government to choose an apolitical person as President. For apolitical persons hardly exist, especially among patriots. I suppose that everybody distinguishes between the expression “non-political” and apolitical.

Even less than the man in the street, no President of a republic is apolitical but some, like our present Maltese President, is non-political. Before his Presidency, he was interested in politics as a humanitarian and a social democrat, which, after all, seems the correct thing to be today, as even conservative persons and groups attempt to convince they are more social democratic than social democracy itself.

Thus, the unfortunate gradual fading of the expression Christian Democratic, which may still have relevance today when genuinely practised. (The expression “more Catholic than the Pope” seems to be diminishing in use as churchgoing becomes a lesser probability in its percentages but somehow I regret the gradual disappearance of this expression as it is quite amusing.)

It seems to me our President has always been a top lawyer in industrial matters and a non-political person insofar as he was not active in party politics. I also believe he was interested in increasing his political role in the country, which does not mean he was a politician as intentions are not facts unless they materialise. And George Abela’s political interest – though non-activity – is one other major reason why he was chosen as President, besides his charisma and uncontested humanitarianism.

It is also possible to be humanitarian without being political. If we call political all humanitarians we know, the list would be quite long but it would force politics on non-political people, including many genuine Christians and members of NGOs.

Any other interpretation of these facts is in itself an emotional interpretation of events and realities, if not a covert attempt at playing politics without politics.

While Dr Abela was not a politician it does not mean that, by choosing him as President, the Prime Minister was showing any distrust in politicians. (The Prime Minister may only choose one President at a time.) Indeed, a politician may make a good President though most people tend to believe a non-politician is a choice more acceptable to the great majority of people.

There have been Presidents who were political persons. I have known some of them well and cannot arrive at any conclusion that a political President cannot make a good President. I have known these persons to be altruists, which is the basis (but, obviously, not the only factor) of any Presidency. However, long years of political activity makes it difficult for a political person to become overnight a non-political President, as normal human beings do not make big, sudden changes in their personality. This is why a non-political person is usually better accepted as President by the greater majority of the population of all political creeds. Even so, all political Presidents try their best to behave non-politically. However, once the Presidency is over, some political Presidents may prove that their “politicality” never died and may have the urge to become involved in politics once more. An ex-President may, for example, feel his promotion of a party successor did not bring the results he had desired and may show smiling and less smiling disapproval of what he may consider an unsatisfied political project.

All in all, while wishing Dr Abela long years as President, I do hope his successor will also be a non-political person whether s/he has social democratic sentiments or not. Indeed, genuine Christian Democratic sentiment also claims humanitarianism as a basis and guideline to all its actions.

Dr Licari is a researcher in multiculturalism.