Republic Day speech | A country coming of age, and the challenges that Malta still faces

George Abela has called on legislators to choose a "strong" successor for him as Malta enters its fortieth year as a constitutional republic, and a person who will "unite all the political forces" and accepted as a unifying figure.

Abela said that time had come for a wide consensus from all political forces to choose the next President of the Republic, and not just the Prime Minister's.

"It would be wiser if the choice of the president would be reached through a wide consensus by all the country's political forces, within a framework of genuine exchanges to ensure that the chosen person will be acceptable to all parties thus providing the assurance to carry out his role."

He also said called for a stronger role for the president, who should not be removed by a simple majority of MPs, and that new powers should be accorded where he or she can act without the prime minister's advice as in the case of approving laws.

"The possibility should be explored whether the President should refer to parliament, only once, any parliamentary act on which he may have some reservations for the parliament's renewed consideration."

Abela took the opportunity to look back at 40 years of modernisation and development in Malta, since it become a republic in 1973 under the Labour government of Dom Mintoff with its first president being Sir Anthony Mamo, formerly the chief justice and governor under the British rule.

He also paid tribute to the "political maturity" the heralded a smooth transition in government after Labour's election win March.

But he also said that a wealthier Malta had also rendered it a victim of its own success. "We forget that everything comes through sacrifice and that we must not fall into the mentality... this sometimes happens, unfortunately, that we [think we] possess a special kind of shield that protects us from the troubles that affect other countries, even those closer to us."

"40 years ago the government used to spend all its income, sometimes managing to put some of this income aside. This could be the reason why development was addressed more diligently with consumption being at lower levels than those required in today's world.

"We have started spending more than our income to accelerate development and increase consumption and this is being implemented at both government level and by the citizens. The term 'deficit' has become a constant dilemma and loans to finance deficits are increasing, year after year. These can become worrying if the economy does not continue with its steady growth." 

Abela also listed challenges the Maltese state was facing, namely pensions and the demographic imbalance, job concerns and a constantly increasing number of graduates and qualified people, "more ambitious and demanding lifestyles, material expectations, family expenses, property prices, and the factors [that] have led to a decrease of the birth rate to worrying levels."

He also raised the alarm of an "unsustainable demographic spread", the health-related costs of a longer lifespan, the widening welfare gap, and "the increase of a sizable class of poor people right under our noses, of an overlaying number of irregular immigrants at times in disrespect of their human dignity; of workers with lesser rights and people who are even side-lined by the social security network, which is so important for social cohesion and which characterises the ideal European society."

The President also proposed a series of challenges that the Maltese and Gozitans had yet to overcome, saying the trust built on the knowledge of past hardships would help the nation overcome significant obstacles that lied ahead.

He made suitable mention for public investment to be poured into public schools and illiteracy, calling for the same level of quality seen in hospital care being addressed in education; the effects of public transport inefficiency and the rise in private transportation; and "the most celebrated victim" being affected by the material success - the environment.

"The importance of the building industry in our country's economy, the preferred option by many individuals to make profitable investments in property, the developers' strong lobbying and the mentality that the individual's personal interest supersedes the common good, have all led to an increase in the areas being build around the Maltese islands.

"This also means that the countryside continues to shrink. Those that say that Malta is unrecognisable from some decades ago are not exaggerating and this should not be deemed as a compliment. Therefore an obvious question comes to mind: what is going to be left for the upcoming generations or for those that still have to be born?"