Former presidents get limited edition keys to new PN headquarters

Former Presidents Ugo Mifsud Bonnici and Guido de Marco were yesterday given limited edition keys to the Nationalist Party's brand new headquarters in Pietà.

Outgoing party general secretary Joe Saliba presented them with the keys as he prepared to take them a tour of the premises.

The former presidents and their wives were the first high profile visitors to the headquarters and were guided through the whole building, including the party's museum, the office of party leader Lawrence Gonzi, the media department and the boardroom.

The museum, which houses an exhibition of photographs of election campaigns, brought back memories and mixed emotions for the former presidents as they reminisced about the part they played in the party's development.

Charlò Bonnici and Paul Borg Olivier, the two contenders for the post of general secretary, were at the headquarters working on their campaigns, and they took the opportunity of stealing a bit of the media limelight by greeting the former presidents, before returning to their work.

Besides the limited edition keys, of which only 20 have been cut, the former presidents were presented with a book about the history of the party's headquarters.

The new headquarters, which retained only the front door of the old premises, is situated in Ħamrun, viewing from its upper floors other landmarks in the neighbourhood including the Labour Party headquarters and the Public Broadcasting Services building among others.