The annual Faculty for Social Wellbeing seminar took the form of a webinar whereby the President of Malta, HE Dr George Vella acceded to a Q&A led by the Research Support Officer Samantha Pace Gasan. With His Excellency we delved into social, familial and political issues he has faced over the years.

The President was born in 1942 and was one of three brothers. His father worked at the Malta Drydocks. He says that he was brought up alongside his extended family, essentially grandparents and aunts. The post-war was a difficulty time, with poverty and unemployment everywhere. In fact, many at the time were looking at moving to Australia.

During the interview he claims that Zejtun, where he was brought up, was a community that was supportive of each other but at the same time you could see people begging on the streets – poverty was rife. For example, children sharing shoes was not an uncommon sight. Apart from that, the biggest industry at the time, the Malta Drydocks, with an estimated 20,000 employees, was hanging by a thread.

The President says that this period was a challenging one. Unemployment was a constant threat. People spent a lot of time living in shelters and there was a shortage of food.  Rationing was as common as the morning sun. At the time there were no luxuries just the essentials. Society was fundamentally made up of farmers and working families. Bringing up one’s children was very different from what we experience nowadays. 

President Vella mentions how Maltese society has changed drastically from a broken ex-Colony, to the Nation we know today, full members of the EU.  He said it is an admirable leap, albeit we are such a small country.

It is a fact that we have developed socially and economically. Successive governments have brought us here.  He says that the secret of all of this was political dialogue rather than bloodshed.  Nonetheless, he mentioned the upheaval of ‘58. He said that he recalls being a university student, protesting against the British government.

He insists that people are guided by values and a moral code.  The President claimed that in a consumerist and individualistic world, values are harder to uphold.  However, he adds that he believes that integrity, honesty and consistency are the principles that guide him. 

When he speaks of his experience at the University as a student, he asserts that so much has changed and in such a short period of time.  Today there are thousands of students at the University compared to the 300 students across all faculties in his time. He said that he used to have lectures at the Valletta Campus and practice at the medical school at St Lukes Hospital. Student life was relatively quiet. There were the occasional demonstrations of students protesting against the British government. He claimed that at the time he was a very active student and in fact at one point he also held the position of President of the Malta Medical Students Association (MMSA). He spoke highly of his professors, the sense of community that existed and the quality of teaching at the University. 

When he turns to his political career he mentioned that the post-1981 election period was the most difficult period he had to struggle with. He had entered politics in 1976 and remained active right up to 2017. In 1981 he had to contend with the reality that the MLP had a majority of representatives but a minority of votes.  He says that trying to justify this position abroad was difficult for him and his colleagues. Another challenging period was trying to convince the European socialist parties on looking towards a gradual EU membership rather than an immediate full-blown one. 

When we moved on to the main challenges facing our society, he mentioned Covid-19, the social and economic trials, finding the right environment-development balance and immigration as being amongst the biggest tests this Nation has to contend with.  He also established that the state of Libyan politics is leaving a scar in the Mediterranean, an issue that needs to be dealt with.

At one point we also asked him if there is still space for ideological distinctions in Malta. He said that such differences are no longer so pronounced and in fact political parties are trying to get the best from both ends of the political ideologies. However, he said that respect for a just distribution of social wealth remains a very important concept that should be preserved.

When we explored with him whether the first year of his presidency was what he was expecting, he replied by saying that it was ‘anything but’. Whether it was the political situation that we experienced at the end of last year, the change in Cabinet, the issues brought about by Covid-19, it was all a learning curve.

He was also asked about Constitutional reform and said that the process in itself is crucial.  Reviewing and re-evaluating where we stand is absolutely necessary.  Demands brought about by the Venice Commission are also very important reforms that need to be implemented. 

In terms of what he would like for this Country, he says that it's easy to dream but he would like to see social and economic stability, security, a low unemployment rate and less poverty.  He said that he has great faith in this people. When faced with difficulties, he said that we always manage to react positively and productively.

When asked what he considers as a priority, he says that what counts for him is health, friends and family. If you lose those, you're the poorest of the poor. He also said that respecting others starts by one’s own self-respect.

Going back to his profession of choice, the President says that his passion to become a doctor emanated from an informed decision to make amends to the poverty he saw around him.  On the other hand, his appetite for politics came about as a result of his involvement as a doctor at the Malta Drydocks.  He saw so many people facing difficulties and automatically one becomes sensitive to their needs.  As a politician he felt he could somehow contribute to easing the pain.

It is interesting that Dr Vella was never Minister for Health and explained this by saying that his passion for the environment was immense and in fact when he was appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, he held the environment portfolio as well because it was an area he had been following throughout his career.

To wrap up, he said that even though the current Covid-19 is a national and international calamity, it is still very different from the times of the war as today we are much more prepared, have the technology to help us and there is a clear plan on how we need to manage this situation.  However, the President believes that it will be a long time until we return to a 'normal' life and going by the Public Health direction is the best advice he could give us. President Vella commended the work the Faculty is doing.