Samantha Pace Gasan appointed Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities

Samantha Pace Gasan replaces Oliver Scicluna as Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities

Samantha Pace Gasan (Photo: DOI)
Samantha Pace Gasan (Photo: DOI)

Samantha Pace Gasan has been appointed Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities following consultation between Prime Minister Robert Abela and Inclusion Minister Julia Farrugia Portelli.

She is the second person to hold the role after her predecessor Oliver Scicluna was co-opted into parliament earlier this week. 

Pace Gasan was a member of the National Youth Council and Malta Girl Guides. As a member of the youth council she worked on and presented a sexual health report, which recommended that the legal age of marriage be raised from 16 to 18. As a member of the Malta Girl Guides, she worked in several committees, including diversity and promotion of minority rights.

She founded the Network of Young Women Leaders with the aim of seeing young women from all walks of life grow into social leaders.

After an emergency heart and aortic operation, Pace Gasan had been diagnosed with Marfan Syndrome, a condition that primarily affects connective tissue within the body. In 2020, Pace Gasan needed another medical intervention afterwhich she experienced a stroke during the operation which led to a loss of vision from her right eye.

"With the appointment of Samantha Pace Gasan, the government is sending a strong message that Malta looks at disability as a wide spectrum," the government statement read.

Her sister Naomi Pace Gasan had accompanied the Prime Minister to parliament last December to mark the International Day for Persons with Disability.

PN statement 

In a statement, the Nationalist Party congratulated Gasan on the appointed. "With her experiences and work in this field, the PN believes that Gasan can advance and promote the rights of people with special needs, particularly in equal opportunities," the party said. 

The PN said it was ready to continue to help to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities with its support and work.