Last Saturday we saw the start to the Presidency of George Abela, a man who, without any doubt, brings honour to the office of the Presidency. A man who without doubt shall serve his country to the best of his ability and who shall distinguish himself as a man of integrity. Saturday however also saw another historic event, the closing of a political career which has quite literally changed Malta.
Eddie Fenech Adami became leader of the Nationalist Party at a time where reading the PN published In-Tagħna - since the word Nazzjon was banned - meant risking being labelled, or worse. He became leader of the Nationalist Party at a time when the house of the Leader of the Opposition was attacked, where the building of independent dailies such as The Times were burnt down by those who opposed the voice of freedom.
Throughout his leadership our country went from being a country where democracy was under threat to a country with a modern and dynamic economy, a country where democracy reigned, a country where the opposing political party was free to set up Super One Television without any undue hassle; a country that apart from being the pariah of Europe is today a member of the European Union at par with former colonisers.
As President of the Republic, Dr Fenech Adami distinguished himself as one able to be a man of the state and not merely a man of the party.
His integrity, sense of leadership and statesmanship were a key signature of his Presidency.
Dr Fenech Adami has spent the best part of his life serving his nation, serving the cause of freedom and liberty, serving the cause of justice and striving to make Malta a modern European state with a modern economy. Malta owes a great debt to Dr Fenech Adami and even though the current Labour leader Joseph Muscat seems to prefer the odd hamburger over functions to thank such a distinguished statesman, I am quite sure that just like George Borg Olivier before him, Dr Fenech Adami will be recognised for the leader that he truly was, even by his once political adversaries.
Until that day, however, we thank Dr Fenech Adami and wish him the very best.