George Vella yesterday was sworn in as Malta’s 10th President of the Republic, succeeding Marie Louise Coleiro Preca.
He is only the second doctor to take on the post of head of state, the other being Censu Tabone. At nearly 77 years of age, he is the oldest President to take office.
Vella crowns a political career spanning more than five decades, during which he served a partisan role as deputy leader of the Labour Party and a national role as Foreign Minister, under two prime ministers. Now, and for the next five years, he will be Malta’s First Citizen.
As expected, there were emotional moments in his hometown Zejtun as Vella left his private residence yesterday morning on his way to take on the mantle of the presidency. Many recalled moments they shared with him as their private doctor, while others simply wanted to be present for the historic moment.
Vella’s first gesture was symbolically a very significant one. Like his predecessors, he acknowledged Malta’s predominant religion – Catholicism – with a Mass held at St John’s Co-Cathedral. But his insistence for the presence of representatives of other religions, who took an active part in the ceremony by reading prayers in their own language and according to their beliefs, gave a clear indication on the way Vella perceives the presidency.
It is also pertinent to point out that the House of Representatives, with the exception of the Partit Demokratiku, unanimously approved the nomination, an accolade that was not afforded to all his predecessors. This is also a positive sign of unity which, we are sure, Vella will seek to pursue, as he highlighted in his first address to the nation soon after he took the oath of office.
Vella wants the presidency to be one for the whole people, irrespective of the religion they hold dear. He also wants to be the President of all the people, irrespective of their political colour. To be fair, all preceding presidents rose above their partisan political background to make sure that the presidency represented all the people, and we are sure that Vella will not be an exception.
Yet, given the way Maltese society has evolved – and in the last five years we have seen a wave of changes, in particular the presence of more foreigners working and living among us – Vella has a more difficult task. As Malta’s new President, he wants assure one and all that he is there for each and every one of the Maltese people as well as others who have made Malta – temporarily or permanently – their home.
Vella has recognised the signs of the times, and the need for the Maltese to understand that we cannot reverse the developments that have taken place. We must learn to embrace the changes that society has gone through and will continue to experience, both because of the influx of so many foreigners as well as the growing influence of social media. Unfortunately, both phenomena have led to a less tolerance and, worse, a sense of hatred towards what is new and different, and this is something that Vella said he wants to tackle in the course of his presidency.
Unity, albeit so important, is not the only target Vella has set himself. In his first address, he also spoke about health, a sector which is so dear to him as a medical practitioner, education, the environment and Malta’s relations in the international community. They are all sectors which need to be nurtured as the country seeks to maintain a good standard of living it has reached.
But, here again, it is not by coincidence that the first topic Vella dealt with in his address was the need to take care of the less fortunate. In all the progress that has been registered, there are people who have been left behind and who live in poverty. And it is imperative that society does not leave them there, but give them all the necessary assistance for them to catch up.
The concept of charity no longer has a place in society today, he said. Whoever needs assistance should get it “by right”, were his next words.
Maybe this is the foundation on which Vella will build his presidency. The past two presidencies were focused on charity, with one activity after another collecting money for the needy; it’s clear that Vella wants to now take his presidency a step further.
Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.