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maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 12 MARCH 2014 8 THE Constitution stipulates that the President "shall be appointed by Resolution of the House of Rep- resentatives" and although this only requires a simple majority, it is cus- tomary for prime ministers to con- sult the leader of the opposition. But with the exception of Sir Anthony Mamo and George Abela, the oppo- sition opposed all previous nomina- tions. In three cases, the opposition went as far as calling for a division. Anthony Mamo; the civil servant Mintoff's first choice of Malta's last Governor General as President represented institutional continu- ity with pre-republican institutions. As a non-partisan civil servant and former Chief Justice, Sir Anthony Mamo was a non-partisan figure respected by both sides. In June 1962, when Admiral Sir Guy Grantham ended his term as governor, the Queen, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister George Borg Olivier, appointed Sir Anthony Mamo Acting Governor pending the arrival of the new Governor, Sir Maurice Dorman. Since then, Sir Anthony Mamo acted on several occasions, as Governor's Deputy and later, under the Malta In- dependence Constitution, as Acting Governor-General. Following Min- toff's election in 1971, Sir Anthony Mamo was appointed first Maltese Governor-General. In a sign of conti- nuity, he held office as the first Presi- dent of Malta between 13 December 1974 and 26 December 1976. Anton Buttigieg - From deputy leader to President Mintoff's choice as Malta's second President was the Labour party's deputy leader Anton Buttigieg, who was serving as Minister of Justice before his appointment as President. In a recent article, former National- ist MP Michael Falzon recalled that "the great majority of the PN par- liamentary group were livid" when confronted by Mintoff's choice. But George Borg Olivier reminded his MPs that whatever the opposition would say and however it would vote, Buttigieg was going to become Presi- dent and the link between the Presi- dent and the Opposition was not one to be thrown to the dogs just to make a point. When the motion to appoint Buttigieg as President was discussed in parliament, the opposition did not pass any comment and simply voted against the motion without asking for a division. Agatha Barbara: healing the wounds In February 1982, 59-year-old Ag- atha Barbara - a former Minister of Education - was elected as the third President by a parliament marked by the absence of the opposition MPs, which were boycotting parliament in protest against the perverse 1981 election result. Speaking in parlia- ment, Mintoff praised Barbara for her dedication to the nation, singling out her imprisonment by the colonial authorities in the 1958 national strike. Mintoff underlined the historical na- ture of her appointment as the first Maltese women to serve as the coun- try's Head of State. Although reviled by supporters of the opposition, Presi- dent Agatha Barbara took a concilia- tory role, convening meetings of party representatives at San Anton aimed at resolving the constitutional impasse. Former PN deputy leader described these meeting as the 'Sibtijiet Flimk- ien' meetings - after the popular TV show of the time. Censu Tabone - The social boycott The opposition's "social boycott" against Censu Tabone represented the most divisive stance ever adopt- ed by an opposition in response to a Presidential appointment. The reso- lution for Tabone's appointment was approved with 35 votes in favour and 34 against after the opposition called a division. The opposition chose not to attend a special sitting of parlia- ment in the Grand Council Chamber in the Palace during which Tabone was sworn in. Opposition leader Karmenu Mif- sud Bonnici recalled Tabone's role in trying to move an Industrial Re- lations Act in 1968, which would have resulted in the imprisonment of trade unionists. He also claimed that as foreign minister, Tabone had "dishonored" the Maltese people by upgrading the Israeli representation in Malta and for having refused to recognize the state of Palestine. The only characteristic that KMB approved of was that he was Gozitan. Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici's hard-line stance must be seen in view of talk of constitutional reform, which would have seen greater powers being given to the Presidency and the govern- ment's refusal to prolong the term of Acting President Paul Xuereb. In par- liament, Mifsud Bonnici argued that once some of the President's pow- ers were to increase, the President should be from the PN side when the Labour Party was in power and from the Labour Party when the PN was in power. The opposition's boycott of the presidency was only lifted after the election of Alfred Sant as opposition leader in 1992. Sant went to great lengths to restore dialogue with the presidency through regular meet- ings with Tabone, during which the Labour leader's daughter was to es- tablish a friendship with the elderly president. Ugo Mifsud Bonnici - Sant's break with the past Alfred Sant's composed reaction to- wards Ugo Mifsud Bonnici's election was in stark contrast with Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici's reaction to Censu Tabone's appointment. Although the opposition voted against the motion, it did not call for a division. Moreover the parliamentary sitting was a short ten-minute affair in which only the Prime Minister spoke with the op- position refraining from making any comments. Ugo Mifsud Bonnici re- tained the respect of both sides dur- ing the parliamentary crisis, which saw Alfred Sant advising the disso- lution of parliament after he lost his parliamentary majority. Guido de Marco - Back to confrontation In a clear indication that Alfred Sant had been embittered by what he saw as a conspiracy between Dom Mint- off and the Nationalist opposition to topple him from power, Sant vehe- mently objected to the nomination of Guido de Marco as President. He accused de Marco of having a "prime role in plots, which under- mined the Labour government." He also accused the newly elected gov- ernment of not showing a "sense of fair play" by nominating de Marco who was "in the thick of political con- troversy on matters such as the EU." News James Debono James Debono Voting for the government's choice Marie Louise Coleiro is set to go down in Maltese history as the first president hailing from the party in government to be voted into office with the support of the Opposition. We look at the Opposition's stance in the election of the other eight Presidents Voted against after calling for a division: Censu Tabone, Guido de Marco, Eddie Fenech Adami. Voted against without calling for a division: Anton Buttugieg, Ugo Mifsud Bonnici Absent from parliament: Agatha Barbara Voted in favour of government's nominee: Anthony Mamo, George Abela. How the opposition voted: Agatha Barbara Anton Buttigieg Anthony Mamo Censu Tabone

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