Virginia Woolf, a British novelist and one of the 20th century’s foremost literary figures once commented: “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” Well, fortunately, women in our society have come a long way from hiding behind pseudonyms even though one cannot say that the equality battle has been won on all fronts.

I happen to be writing this article a few hours before Malta’s next President of the Republic takes the oath of office. Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca will be Head of State, a formidable woman and an inspiration not just to women but to a whole nation. I have had the honour of being her colleague during this past year and she has impressed me with her capabilities to instil in those around her a sense of social justice. Her political career has been dedicated to helping the law-abiding, everyday citizen from dawn till dusk and beyond. Although an avid and staunch Labourite, she never distinguished between the poor, the needy and those going through hardship by political affiliation. Her politics transcended political parties because although she viewed her political life from a socialist perspective, she believed in it benefitting all and worked hard to make that happen. No wonder she garnered an exceptional number of votes from her district, no wonder her phone starts ringing at six in the morning, no wonder people queue to speak to her and no wonder the Opposition couldn’t find it in their hearts to oppose her nomination!

To be quite honest, her nomination by the Prime Minister took me by surprise because never in my wildest dreams did I think that the most beloved Minister by every possible poll would stand a chance at the Presidency. Not that such nomination wasn’t well deserved, but because it takes a lot of guts for a Prime Minister and leader of a political party to sacrifice one of his best ministers and a mega vote magnet to put her at the helm of the country where executive powers and election campaigns are not part of the agenda. But soon as the initial shock was over and I had mulled over it for a while, I realised that the Prime Minister was simply putting into practice his battle cry of meritocracy. At the same time he also put as top priority of the country empathy and social justice, civil and women’s rights boosted by an injection of energy and positivity in the form of a head of state that epitomises all of the above.

I have no doubt that this Presidency will live up to all of our expectations and I have equally no doubt that it will go beyond them. Five years from now, we will all wish her to stay on, those who know her today together with those who might be a bit sceptical about having a president who hails from a different party to their own. I wish her the best of luck while thanking her for being a catalyst for change, a revolutionary and visionary in her own right as a politician along the years and a role model for budding politicians.

I feel a sense of pride in belonging to a political party who has equality between men and women at heart, who along the years have given Maltese women important rights that have helped narrow the unfortunate discriminatory gap that existed between the sexes. A Labour government gave women the right to vote way back in 1945, maternity benefits in 1981 as well as 13 weeks of unpaid leave for women to be able to take care of their young and have time to bond with them when they make their grand entrance into this world. I’m enthused to belong to a party who never rests on its laurels but continuously strives to better working incentives and tax benefits for women, helping them to be more productive as citizens through introduction of free childcare as from this month, for instance, and a myriad other things. This is not to say that other governments have not done their fair share but it does seem that the big changes were all pushed by Labour governments who always viewed women’s contributions to society as valuable in their own right and not just as contributions that complement those of men. It was the Labour Party in government who gave the country its first female President three decades ago and the Labour Party who is doing so again today.

I hope that this momentum for more equality not only continues but increases. I would like to see it reflected in boards, in directorships, in the civil service, in the judiciary and in politics. The country needs both male and female perspectives in places of power and now Maltese women are being given someone to look up to and inspire them never to give up, whatever their social and family background. Let this Presidency spark a renewed “can do” attitude to complement governmental initiatives towards the greater good of our society at large.

Dr Schembri is a current Labour Party Member of Parliament and is a candidate in the forthcoming European parliamentary elections