The President of the Republic is once again in the news. And rightly so. After a year in office, it is expected of the media to analyse her tenure in office. The news is all positive and in awe of the President. She is considered to be one of the presidents who has met the highest number of people in the first year in office . Most of these individuals are citizens in distress, seeking assistance. Next Sunday, she will be on the cover-page of the Malta Independent Magazine, First. As President, she has succeeded in gaining acceptance by all the citizens of Malta.
Possibly there will be some who disagree with the role that Marie Louise Coleiro has given her presidency,for theybelieve that a President’s role is restricted to state functions.
I will try to analyse this criticism by seeing inspiration from a book that introduced modern politics, The Prince, by Niccolo’ Machiavelli. Thanks to this work,Machiavelli is today considered the father of modern politics. Perhaps, very few today remember Machiavelli as a staunch support of the Republic. Like his contemporary, the sculptor, Michelangelo Buonarotti, Machiavelli believed that the best government for his own town, Florence, was a Republican one. Both Machiavelli and Buonarotti admired Brutus and not Caesar. They admired Brutus for his courage,for in killing Caesar, he was defending the Roman Republic.
Unfortunately, this type of government fell in Florence and was wiped out from the rest of Europe. This explains, in part,why Europe began to demonize Machiavelli. In demonizing his book,The Prince, Europe was seeking to affirm the absolute power of the monarchy.
The fall of the Republic in Florence forced Machiavelli to think about the besttype of government one could have in the circumstances, to counter theMedici’s aristocratic system. This explains why Machiavelli opts for a tyrannical government. At this period of the Renaissance, in the absence of the Republican spirit, the tyrants were the sole opposition and alternative government to the dictatorship of the aristocracy.
Yet, Machiavelli identified two principal elements that were important for the success of a republic. The first was “fortune”. The second was “virtue”. As a politician, Machiavelli was not fortunate. But in fortune or luck rests the success of a republican leader.
One can say that Marie Louise Coleiro Preca has been fortunate. She was offered the Presidency of our Republic in the midst of political controversy. The previous government had asked George Abela, a Labourite, to occupy this office. Muscat did not reciprocate. He wanted someone from his own party to hold this office. His choice fell on Coleiro Preca. Rightly so, Marie Louise did not want the office. She was one of the most successful Labour candidates. She had just been elected and was considered one of the senior ministers in the Labour Cabinet. Accepting the offer meant putting an end to her political career. She accepted with great reluctance.
However, she was fortunate, in the sense that the Nationalist Opposition, despite the political affront made by Muscat in not choosing the president from the PN’s ranks, did not offer any political resistance or callfor a boycott. Furthermore, Simon Busuttil took the unilateral decision to back her candidature in Parliament. She was the first president coming from the party in government to be voted also by the Opposition.
Yet, fortune or luck is not everything in politics. One can be lucky in winning the National Lottery but then lose allthe day after, at the Casino. Fortune needs virtue. And Marie Louise ColeiroPreca is showing to be virtuous in politics. This is a fact that is also being recognized and appreciated by the Opposition.
As a President, she has succeeded in overcoming the political divide, which is imposed by our political system. Our electoral system makes it important for our deputies to focus on their respective districts. As a president, she is now released from any electoral pressure. She can focus on the nation. And she is doing it with great success. Her initiative of the informal career award has also gathered the support of the Nationalist Opposition, and the inauguration ceremony was attended by the PN MP Robert Cutajar. This proves that the Opposition is seeing her presidency to be above party politics. Marie Louise ColeiroPrecaachieved all this in one year through political virtue. Thus, the Maltese Nation is looking at this presidency with a sign of contentment and the support given to l-Istrina and any other benevolent activity patronized by the President is a proof of this success.