Guido de Marco’s legacy must go on

As the news spread that Guido de Marco had passed away, leaving a great void in Malta’s political life, I found myself wondering if the new political generation would manage to live up to the standards set by great statesmen of his kind. We, at the Nationalist Party, have a lot of work to do to match the righteous sense of nationalism people like Prof. de Marco, Eddie Fenech Adami, Ċensu Tabone and Ugo Mifsud Bonnici forged in our political DNA. The set of values people like Prof. de Marco entrenched in our beliefs must be guarded by those now holding the party’s reins.

Prof. de Marco and his generation never feared change, which almost happened on a daily basis when they formed part of the party’s and country’s leadership. Yet, change was always in line with their principles. They brought about change in the way we do things without faltering on the principles on which the great Nationalist Party was founded.

Prof. de Marco had an added value to his persona: his charisma, which basically spurred from one fundamental belief – he never gave up! With that principle as his starting point in everything he embarked upon, the sky was truly the limit. Of all those in public and private life, Prof. de Marco was the only man who really tamed Dom Mintoff. Not that he shifted his ground or made the stubborn politico his accolade, as some like to suggest, but through the politics of persuasion and the rules of engagement, which dictated that two parties need to find the points that link an argument rather than focus on what divides an issue.

When Prof. de Marco intervened in such national matters not all sides got what they wanted but the country got the best solution. This was essentially the man Prof. de Marco evolved into: a politician with a goal to achieve the best for all parts in any given situation. Dr Fenech Adami was equally open to spot a solution in any conflict and the generation of PN politicians that followed them adopted much of their style while introducing new concepts to the ever-changing political landscape.

Now that Prof. de Marco is no longer with us we should take a moment to analyse what he really meant in the political life of the Nationalist Party.

George Borg Olivier was the one who welcomed him into the PN’s fold, recognising the power of conviction held by that energetic young lawyer. Thanks to his long political career, many, from both political sides, have had the opportunity to work and learn from Prof. de Marco. His elegant, at times bombastic, style always served a purpose. He got things done when urgently needed and let issues simmer when wisdom so demanded. He was shrewd in his judgment and hated haste when unwarranted.

His values as a politician live on, only if we choose to carry on the legacy left to the PN by this great statesman. Over the years, many of us were tempted to juggle with popular and emotional issues, at times forgetting our political roots. Prof. de Marco is a guiding light in this regard. Faced with difficult decisions he would first look for that thin fine line converging opposing positions. He would then build on it without giving up his principles. This made him no less a liberal than the conservative he was portrayed to be. He was avant-garde on many counts but always righteous and loyal to the people involved.

May we all cherish these wonderful political values in the years to come even if the goalposts shifted and the terms of reference of political life have changed. What matters are the people, something Prof. de Marco kept in focus till his last hour on earth.