Former Finance Minister Edward Scicluna, who on the 19th of November announced he was going to resign as an MP, bid farewell to parliament as he nears his resignation in order to take up his new role as governor of the Central Bank.
Scicluna noted his pleasure at serving in Parliament for 12 years. He also expressed his gratitude to all those in Parliament. “I would like to thank you Mr Speaker and the people in this room who orchestrate parliament to perform in a neutral manner.”
In his speech, Scicluna emphasised the importance of being both a technocrat and a politician. “As a person who went into politics in the late days of my career, they refer to me as a technocrat. It seems like in Malta, people think that you are either a technocrat who is seen as if he is a robot who does not understand politics, or that if you’re a politician, you’re not a technocrat,” Scicluna said.
“I hope that this situation changes. I hope that we will have varied jobs as well, not just lawyers and doctors but also economists, accountants, architects, people who study arts, etc.” the former finance minister said.
He also stressed the importance of having an improved relationship between the political parties in the room, while also the need for institutions to be transparent.
“There needs to be a better relationship in this room. The institutions need to be more transparent while not being undermined with certain instability. I thank the public in general. I promise that I will continue my work in my new role in the central bank.”