House heaps praise on Lawrence Gonzi

Friends and political foes heaped praise on Lawrence Gonzi today following his resignation from the post of Opposition leader. Speaker Anglu Farrugia said the Chair wished to thank Dr Gonzi for his service to the House as Speaker, Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition. Dr Farrugia noted that Dr Gonzi had served with distinction as Speaker and then served as minister, prime minister and, briefly, as leader of the opposition. He thanked Dr Gonzi and wished him well. Opposition leader Simon Busuttil said Dr Gonzi had served more than 25 years in the House in various posts. He was a true statesman who always put the country before any other consideration. He had been one of the shapers of a modern European nation and had left his post with the country in a better state than he had found it. He recalled how Dr Gonzi had become prime minister a few days before Malta joined the EU and had distinguished himself as Malta went through the difficult process of adjusting itself to EU membership, the adoption of the euro and membership of the Schengen area. Dr Gonzi had piloted several other important reforms including the privatisation of the dockyard, restructuring of Air Malta and...