[WATCH] Choice of next president must inspire national unity – Simon Busuttil
Opposition leader’s New Year’s message: ‘common good means that not everything, citizenship included, is up for sale’
2014 will be a year for Malta to reflect on its constitutional achievements, Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said in his New Year's message, as Malta enters its fiftieth year of independence, as well as 40 years as a Republic and 35 years since the last British forces left the country.
Busuttil said these were events which offered the Maltese an opportunity to reflect on their history and heritage, and the achievements of the country as an EU member state.
2014 will also see the appointment of a new President of the Republic, a decision which Busuttil hinted should not be reserved for a member of the Labour old guard kicked upstairs, as has been common political practice. "It should inspire unity, as did the choice of George Abela," Busuttil said, referring to the former Labour deputy leader appointed by Lawrence Gonzi in 2009.
"Unity should not be given just lip-service, but must be lived. It has to be built on strong values and principles," Busuttil said.
Busuttil said the country will need a strong drive towards job creation in the aftermath of the financial crisis of the past five years, new values to protect the most vulnerable in society, amongst them the elderly, and values that cherish community and not individual wealth.
"The common good means that not everything is up for sale," Busuttil, who opposed the IIP and the sale of citizenship, said. "There are things, like citizenship, that are priceless. Our identity and equality cannot be sold or bought."
Busuttil said the PN would be an Opposition that will call for national and bipartisan consensus on positive developments, such as healthcare, but will flag controversial matters such as in the case of the sale of citizenship.
"We want consensus on constitutional reform and we wanted to reach consensus on the sale of citizenship," Busuttil said.
"We are building a strong and credible Opposition, that can criticise and come out with its own ideas, such as the proposal for a parliamentary committee on standards and ethics for MPs and public officials, and the Constitutional amendment to remove all discrimination based on sexual orientation."