Qualities of a president

Just by chance, I was recently listening in the background to a familiar voice on NET TV. I checked and I was right; it was Tonio Borg, a former European commissioner, former minister and deputy prime minister and a former deputy PN leader, speaking on the programme Profili presented by James Aaron Ellul.

I always believed that Borg would have been a perfect PN leader but this was not to be. However, I still think he can contribute to the country and feel he has all the right credentials for the position of president of Malta. 

Tonio Borg. File photo

His achievements during his distinguished ministerial career as well as when he served in the European Commission are there for all to see. 

I am still perplexed as to why present and past MPs who admire and respect such a distinguished person have never (as far as I know) considered Borg as a worthy candidate for president of Malta. 

Maybe it is the warped reasoning of the present Labour government that, while they are in office, the person considered for president has to be from the Labour Party. 

This is in stark contrast to the PN government led by Lawrence Gonzi which appointed George Abela as president. The Labour Party conveniently forgets that a president is there to foster unity and understanding among all Maltese and Gozitans. 

Emmanuel Galea – Victoria

A dystopian future

When, on April 23, 1958, governor Sir Robert Laycock declined to accept prime minister Dom Mintoff’s request to remove police commissioner Vivian de Gray, Mintoff tendered his government’s resignation the following day.  

This was followed by a general strike called by the General Workers’ Union on April 28, which turned into a day of riots.  De Gray remained police commissioner until 1971 when he resigned after Labour won the general election. 

Today, Malta has a police commissioner, Angelo Gafà, whose term of office has just recently been extended by the cabinet for another four years. Based on his record in office, it is difficult to understand how the cabinet came to its decision. Everybody knows how he deals with certain allegations of corruption.

Unfortunately, nowadays there is no governor who can override the cabinet on such matters. We have a president with zero executive powers.

Our beleaguered nation faces a dystopian future unless the tables are turned. There is only one solution: the opposition must act now and boycott parliament unless the government agrees to hold a general election by the end of this year. How can the country continue to face one scandal after another? Malta is sinking.

Anthony Saliba – St Paul’s Bay

Just think of it

Just think what a substantial contribution would be made to the finance minister’s annual budget and to the much-trumpeted new national economic model if Malta were to have a fiscal structure that includes property taxes on: physical or corporate entities that own more than one property other than their single permanent residence; all owners of hotels, rental accommodation, multiple apartments and/or garages and/or retail outlets; industrial properties and unutilised or unfabricated land or sea holdings.

Plus, of course, having a serious and detailed national database of all existing publicly and privately owned property.

I write in full realisation that both in Malta and in Brussels several elements of the 2025 national budget are being thrashed out.

John Consiglio – Birkirkara