President of Malta George Vella delivered his final Republic Day speech on Wednesday, saying that the “extremely partisan” way the country does politics discourages young talent who may be interested in it.
Speaking at the Supreme Council Hall in the Grandmaster’s Palace in Valletta, Vella delivered his fifth and final speech on the occasion before his Presidency ends in April next year, and highlighted the several challenges youths of future generations are currently facing.
Vella said that when assuming the Office of the President, in time, one finds out that it is not easy to accomplish all one wished or promised at the beginning of the Presidency.
He spoke about the Covid-19 pandemic, one which could not have been predicted, and took much time, attention, and energy. Vella commended the way the country succeeded in organising itself and cooperating with authorities, uniting to find the strength to do what is best for the country’s interests.
“It was a clear example that we do have abilities, we do have competent and capable people, and that the Maltese people’s generosity stands out when we have to take care of each other, as our nurses and carers showed us, who did more than was expected of them to care for our elderly,” Vella said.
He said that a different picture painted by certain media outlets gives the opposite impression of Malta to those outside Maltese society, making it seem that there is no longer anything good left in the country; that people have no integrity, that there are no competent people left, and that no one is trustworthy.
Vella said that while he felt hurt when the country is portrayed this way to foreigners, as reality has shown otherwise, not everyone is blameless and there is a lot to be fixed in the country.
“This is why we have regulatory structures. This is why we have the Courts. This is why we have the Ombudsman. This is why we have the Auditor General and the police force. These are the tools a democratic country has at its disposal to ensure that as much as possible, laws are followed and the rule of law is upheld,” he said.
Vella noted that the agreement on who should occupy the constitutional role of Ombudsman took almost a year and a half, which “certainly did not reflect well on our country, both politically and administratively.”
He said that there are people who are capable of occupying high positions in the country, advising to set aside bickering and stubbornness, and pick the most capable and eligible candidates who can do justice to their role.
“I am saying this only three and a half months away from the appointment of the next President of the Republic,” Vella said.
“It is also cause of displeasure for me that after the great deal of work done in collecting and evaluating suggestions from the general public and constituted bodies on the changes desired in the Constitution, I was prevented from continuing the process of convening a Convention, because despite all my best efforts, there was no willingness to agree on who should lead this Convention,” Vella also pointed out.
Despite this, there were important constitutional changes made, with regards to appointing Judiciary members, separating powers within the AG’s Office, and the appointment of the Police Commissioner, among other administrative changes.
Vella said that the powers of the President are limited, and cannot do anything alone, but depend on the cooperation of other entities, and added that unfortunately, many expect the President to take actions and decisions which strictly do not fall under his remit.
He spoke about the nature of criticism, which should not mock or ridicule, or be destructive and aimed at those who, due to the nature of the Office they occupy, are duty-bound to keep silent and not to engage in public controversy.
Vella urged for more education on better social media use, especially for current and future generations already living in the digital world, and those who will face a world of artificial intelligence, who will need to learn to use it and reap its benefits, rather than become its slaves.
He encouraged youths to continue studying and let nothing hinder them from achieving their dreams, mentioning those who have made a name for themselves around the world despite the country’s small size.
“Education is the best investment we can ever make in future generations,” he said.
Vella said that the biggest challenge of all is the environmental one, due to climate change. He said that Malta must also shoulder responsibility, despite its size, to change the direction with the rest of the world.
He said it was wise to make use of the much larger areas of the country’s international Law of the Sea, which gives it access to the exclusive economic zone, where it can install wind turbines or solar farms, which provide with electricity as energy.
“Every cent invested in these measures is a cent invested in our children’s and grandchildren’s future,” Vella said.
He spoke about education covering all aspects of life, both physical and moral, which gives direction in life, and building values and principles which will guide the person throughout their life.
Vella continued that this type of education has always been ideal, but in today’s world, these values have become much more necessary because of the great dangers, difficulties and challenges that youths face on a daily basis.
“What use is it to celebrate that our country is a Republic, and boast that we have now taken control of our own future, if we do not have people who are wise and smart enough to lead this country in the best interest of the Maltese and Gozitan people?” Vella questioned.
He said that corruption, both proven and alleged gnaws at the very backbone of democracy, and deters those who wish to participate in political and public life.
“I am heartened to see so many youths active in political life, but I am sure we are discouraging a lot more talent because of the extremely partisan way in which we do our politics,” Vella said.
He continued that now that 16-year-olds have been granted the right to vote, it is time to start teaching what politics is and what it means as an art and as a science, and not the partisan politics heard on a daily basis.
Vella said this would be an investment in the future, where the country would be investing in representatives of the people, who protect our country’s best interests, both locally and when they represent Malta abroad.
He mentioned youths’ significant number of social problems such as ever-rising property prices, which for many youths mean years and years of interest and capital payments. Vella mentioned more instability in relationships between couples, and the frenzied rush towards higher living standards.
Vella mentioned drugs, which despite all controls, are still very present. “The worst thing we are seeing is that a mentality is developing that a certain quality of drug is as socially acceptable as if it were a glass of water,” he said.
Vella said he chose to give importance to youths as they will be the ones who will face and seek solutions for the country's problems.
“It is time to ask ourselves, responsibly: “Where is Malta heading?” Or better still: “Where will we take Malta in the future?”
He said that construction still takes over large parts of the limited space, and more controls and enforcement of existing regulations will help save what is left.
Vella spoke about the population growth and its link with the country’s economic development.
He said that 30% of the country's population are so-called ‘foreigners,’ some of whom have been here for many years.
“Their arrival among us was our choice and it was needed for economic development. What does the future hold? Will we continue to increase the number of foreigners among us to further increase our gross domestic product, or will we find ways to produce products and provide services that have a higher value, and therefore increase the gross domestic product without needing to increase the number of workers?” Vella said.
He added that clever use of advanced technology is needed and the controlled use of AI must be part of a plan which indicates what avenues the country must take to move forward.
Whatever that plan, foreigners among us will not suddenly disappear, and Vella said that the population must be acknowledged as ‘mixed’ and appealed for broad-scale integration into a multicultural society through education, as well as defending them.
Vella spoke about irregular immigrants, and said that EU countries lacked in finding an agreement on the responsibilities the Union has towards more investment to countries where these irregular immigrants come from, securing a better future on the African continent.
Vella acknowledged the Maltese language as too precious to be neglected, and spoke about the success of the campaign on good use of Maltese.
On the country’s traffic problems, Vella said that the problem is the number of vehicles on the roads which continue to increase every day, with the need for a holistic plan on our travel habits and other individual and collective modes of transport.
Another challenge for youths is rule of law, where Vella said that the country needs to ensure that it will strengthen all constitutional bodies to bring a peace of mind and serve justice on those who abuse.
He also urged that what remains to be done in the case of the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia to be closed as soon as possible so that those responsible pay for their actions.
Vella spoke about the country’s neutral position, and said that this neutrality does not hinder hard work that a country in an international forum can carry out, mentioning Malta’s involvement in a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, which took part in gaining support on a resolution that led to a brief pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas.
He said it was a pity that no agreement could be reached on the cessation of hostilities, and condemned the ongoing massacre of innocent people, particularly of children.
Closing his speech, Vella listed his experiences as President, among them was Pope Francis’ visit to the country, as well as the Malta Community Chest Fund Foundation.
He gave recognition to the Maltese and Gozitan people, adding that “It was an honour and a privilege, but above all a duty, for me to continue to serve our people and our dear country for another five years.”