I am disappointed at the way certain sections of the media are glorifying Eddie Fenech Adami. I will be the first to acknowledge that Fenech Adami has made a valid contribution to our nation’s political development and to the cause of democracy. However, let us paint a realistic picture of this politician and not try and create a fictional character as some sections of the media are doing.

Eddie Fenech Adami was an able politician, a rather average Prime Minister but an excellent President. Fenech Adami capably exploited Labour’s shortcomings from when he became Leader of the Nationalist Party in 1977 to the year in which he became Prime Minister, i.e. 1987. The PN propaganda machine worked overtime to capitalize on certain incidents of political violence at the time and managed to obscure so many national gains made under Labour Governments during the period 1971-87 such as the creation and consolidation of the welfare state and the closing of the British military base in Malta. This led to the PN electoral victory of 9th May, 1987.

Fenech Adami has the merit of having kept PN supporters in check following several violent political incidents such as the murder of Raymond Caruana in 1986. If an immature leader had been at the head of the Nationalist Party in those days, this could have led to an even worse escalation of political violence, with disastrous consequences.

Of course, an objective interpretation of the historical events of the Seventies and Eighties shows that the Nationalists also had their violent elements and the obstructionist tactics of the PN were partly to blame for the political polarisation that resulted and the escalation of political violence.

When Labour was voted out of power in 1987, the public finances were in a healthy state. However, when Eddie Fenech Adami stepped down from Prime Minister in 2004, public finances were left in a disastrous state and the consequences of this are still being felt today by every Maltese citizen. On the positive side, he was the architect of Malta’s becoming a member of the European Union.

As President of Malta, Eddie Fenech Adami’s performance was excellent. He managed to keep in touch with ordinary citizens through frequent visits to the towns and villages of Malta and Gozo. His behaviour was also dignified and politically impartial. He honoured the post which he held.

The calibre of a political leader is not measured by how many elections he/she wins but by what he/she achieves for his/her country and people. That is why it is important that we present the real facts about Eddie Fenech Adami and not an idealized image created by biased sections of the media.

I would assess Eddie Fenech Adami’s political career in a positive light although it was inferior to that of George Borg Olivier. Furthermore, Fenech Adami was certainly not of the calibre of Dom Mintoff. The facts speak for themselves.

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