(Adds PN and PL statements)
The President this morning called for a change to the State Opening of Parliament ceremony for the President’s speech to start being read by the Prime Minister.
The speech to date read by the President, is actually written by the Prime Minister, a Constitutional convention inherited from the British system.
Speaking during a visit to Floriana on the occasion of the feast of St Publius, President George Abela said that, as President, he was obliged to read the speech as written. This was what had always happened in the past and he had been placed in a situation unfairly.
When Parliament opened last Saturday, the President’s speech irked the opposition which regretted that it was partisan and repeated the slogans used by the Labour Party in its electoral campaign.
The PN had said that the use of such slogans was inappropriate as it was divisive and undermined the importance of the occasion and the dignity of the Presidency.
Dr Abela said this morning that he did not wish future Presidents to be placed in the same uncomfortable situation and the Prime Minister should read his speech highlighting the political programme for the next five years while the President should give his views on the opening of Parliament.
He said that although there were some who had been genuine in their criticism of the speech he read last Saturday, there were others who took a long time to understand that what he read were not his words.
Dr Abela said that during his term as President, he had been extremely careful to avoid controversies. He said that one should not allow this unfortunate incident to ruin the harmony in the country.
PRIME MINISTER SHOULD APOLOGISE - PN
In a statement, the Nationalist Party said that the President’s disassociation from his speech continued to confirm the Prime Minister’s irresponsibility.
It said that rather than unity, the Prime Minister sought division at the start of the legislature and used the President’s speech for this.
He allowed the electoral result to go to his head and thought he could humiliate, hurt and embarrass everyone.
Rather than using the occasion to explain the government’s vision for the creation of work and economic expansion, the government made the President read a speech that contained direct and indirect attacks against Lawrence Gonzi, the man who, for the first time in the country’s political history, had appointed a President from the opposition political scene.
Following the President’s declaration, one now expected the Prime Minister to apologise to the people.
Through his actions, including the public appointments of the past days, it was becoming even more clear that the Malta for all slogan was just an electoral gimmick, the PN said.
PL STATEMENT
The Labour Party described the PN’s statement as a poor and short-sighted reaction which showed that the Nationalist minority still thought in a negative way and was more interested in being divisive.
“The PN has not yet learned anything,” the PL said.