The two main political parties, the PN and the PL, have expressed agreement with President George Abela’s proposal for the setting up of a Council of State.

It must be bittersweet for the embattled Prime Minister, who had said on the announcement of George Abela’s nomination, that he believed he (Dr Abela) could bridge the political divide.

Unfortunately for the PM, with other matters weighing heavily on the shoulders of Joe Public, no one is going to notice or recall his words. But The PM was right in nominating Dr Abela for the post – while not a ramrod straight type of person, the humble and fun-loving George Abela has already started working hard to battle the materialism and political divide that dominates this tiny country. Dr Abela has embarked on the process of reforming charity drives in Malta and in doing so, has involved large sectors of society irrespective of political creed. To put it simply, when one is running from Attard to Valletta to raise money for charity, red and blue (and green) go out of the window – and that is exactly as it should be.

So it was indeed refreshing to hear both political leaders agree in principle to the setting up of the Council of State. It would be a purely consultative body and will see the involvement of the President, Prime Minister, Opposition leader and former Presidents.

The Prime Minister said that he is in favour of the idea, but added that it would need to be preceded by in-depth discussions – of course we agree.

The exact function of this council must be established before we start to formulate it. We need to see whether it would simply be a body where matters are debated – a brainstorming council – or it could be a council with more legislative powers. Of course, establishing all these details will come in the discussion that the PM wants.

It may also be an opportunity to resurrect a proposal from over a decade ago to widen the powers which the President of the day possesses. The same proposal had also called for the Armed Forces of Malta to be placed under the responsibility of the President. This newspaper believes that doing so would be a good move for more than one reason. It would mean that the frequent murmurings within the AFM about political favours would definitely be cut down – the simple fact that the AFM would be under the direct responsibility of the President should free it from any political taints and tinges. It would also add value and prestige to the office of the President. If we look at recent history, like them or not personally, all our Presidents have been very valid people who are not yet ready to be ‘put out to pasture’. Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, Guido de Marco, Eddie Fenech Adami and now George Abela, are all people who still had a lot to offer to Maltese society when they were made President. The least we (as a country) can do is allow them to channel that energy and expertise into something worthwhile and useful to the country as a whole.

There is plenty of food for thought and one is sure that some form of agreement between the parties will emerge. One wonders, though, how long it will take and whether the call for change by Dr Abela will be acted on within his term – we doubt it.