Fully qualified

Pierre Portelli as always expresses his thinking with honesty and even , dare I say , with sentiment. He exhorts Eddie Fenech Adami to consider not accepting the highest institutional office in Malta because "your successor as Prime Minister will never be able to take off in full flight if his running-in is shadowed by your presence".

He makes it clear this was said in the full realisation that Dr Fenech Adami would "carry out the presidential duties diligently and would never do anything that could somehow dent Dr Gonzi's performance".

However, if this be the case, then there cannot be any fear that the appointment of the former Prime Minister to the post of President of Malta should constitute any problem to his successor.

The role of the President of Malta is practically devoid of any political involvement; in fact the President is constitutionally precluded from involving himself in any matter which could potentially drag the Presidency into political controversy.

The proof of this lies in the fact that no problems had arisen in the more difficult situation of having the President from one political background and the Prime Minister from another.

This happened when we had a President who had been a foremost minister in a Nationalist Cabinet at a time when the Prime Minister was from the opposition party. Of course, I am referring to when the President in office was Ugo Mifsud Bonnici and Alfred Sant was Prime Minister.

Their different political backgrounds in no manner interfered in a mutually correct interpretation of their institutional roles, not even during the political crisis, which eventually led to the fall of the Sant government following Dom Mintoff's voting against the Sant government.

There was also the inverse situation when a former Labour minister, Paul Xuereb, occupied the post of Acting President for quite a long time when the Prime Minster was Dr Fenech Adami himself. Here, again, they both interpreted their respective constitutional posts correctly and, in fact, no problem had arisen.

So, I ask, why should there be any problem with Dr Fenech Adami as President and Lawrence Gonzi as Prime Minister?

We even have the situation of a former minister and then serving member of parliament being appointed a magistrate of the Courts of Malta without anyone batting an eyelid.

This only goes to show that political careers have no bearing on the manner in which former politicians interpret their new institutional roles, even as Presidents of Malta.

The transition from active politicians and former ministers in power had to be gone through by all the Presidents of Malta except the very first who was a former Chief Justice. Starting from Anton Buttigieg up to Guido de Marco all were leading politicians in the forefront of the political fray and controversy. It is timely to point out that not all were unanimously voted into office by parliament.

It is to the merit of all concerned that they managed to grow in office and with their formidable political experience, the insight of their former colleagues and adversaries and of society in general, they all managed to win the respect of the Maltese in general and even of their former adversaries.

One thing is for sure.

The new Prime Minister has many more urgent and formidable challenges to face of a real political, social and economic nature, not to mention the legitimate challenges of an opposition that has not tasted effective power for a rather long period of time, than to worry about the government's relationship with Dr Fenech Adami.

If Dr Fenech Adami wanted to retain his full and unqualified control on the government of the day then all he had to do was to remain Prime Minister for quite a few more years. The fact that he, and he alone, has decided to call it a day means that that chapter of his life is now over and done away with.

The transition of public figures from one stage to another of public life should be judged solely by their capability of fulfilling their new duties and obligations. If they would already have done so successfully then there would be no greater certificate of their capability of filling new public posts, albeit of a different function and role.

I should expect that the Cabinet has considered to offer Dr Fenech Adami the Office of Presidency in the full conviction of this consideration.

He is now more than ever an ordinary citizen with an illustrious and prestigious career in the public service and, therefore, more than qualified for the post.

It should, therefore, be uniquely and solely up to him to decide if he intends to further such a career of dedicated service in the public interest for another five years as our President.