Ċensu, the founding father

If we live in a democratic country today, it’s also thanks to Ċensu Tabone. You know him as a former President of Malta and a former Minister of Foreign Affairs.

… Dr Tabone distinguished himself throughout his political life as an upright person with a strong moral code…- Simon Busuttil

But few might remember that in 1976, he founded the Academy for the Development of a Democratic Environment, AŻAD, and he was its first president.

AŻAD was established as a school of politics associated with the Nationalist Party.

It was Dr Tabone who recognised the role of political education in the preparation of future political leaders of the Nationalist Party. No wonder, therefore, that he saw AŻAD as “the bridge to the future”.

The academy was inaugurated in July 1976 at its first premises at Tagliaferro Centre, Sliema. The inauguration was attended by many dignitaries including Kai-Uwe von Hassel, vice president of the German Bundestag on behalf of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAF).

In his inaugural speech, Dr Tabone recalled how he and Michael Refalo had come up with the idea of setting up the academy after they visited the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Germany in 1973.

KAF is named after Germany’s first post-war Christian Democrat Chancellor, Konrad Adenauer, who is also one of the founding fathers of Europe. KAF is associated with the German Christian Democrat Party (CDU). At the time, it had offices in 16 countries. Today it supports some 120 projects in as many countries.

Dr Tabone, who in 1976 was the PN’s deputy leader and as an MP formed part of the delegation to the Council of Europe of the Maltese House of Representatives, was also active in the Christian Democrat International where he rubbed shoulders with German Christian Democrats whose KAF Foundation lent great support to AŻAD along the years.

In Dr Tabone’s eyes, AŻAD was to promote the same Christian Democratic principles as those which inspired the PN. But it was to remain autonomous from it, far enough as to allow more freedom to facilitate dialogue including with those who disagreed with its political philosophy. This autonomy would also allow creative criticism of party policies and promote fresh and innovative policy proposals which could be discussed and adopted by the party.

In this sense, Dr Tabone always wanted AŻAD to serve as a body which would supply the PN with the oxygen of new ideas and with the energy of the young leaders of tomorrow.

The SDM, Studenti Demokristjani Maltin, then led by Ray Bondin, was closely associated with this new initiative.

What Dr Tabone expected of AŻAD is clear and amply demonstrates how he looked upon political discourse.

“Democracy must be alive, the result of free debate with full respect of the views of others,” he said at a time when democracy in Malta was sliding dangerously towards the brink.

And he also said that “politics is corrupt for those who are corrupt”.

True to his maxims, Dr Tabone distinguished himself throughout his political life as an upright person with a strong moral code, analytical to the most minute of details, a man of his word and steadfastly incorruptible.

In short, he was a political giant in a small island state.

For AŻAD he entertained high hopes as it was being inaugurated: “I hope that this academy provides sufficient training to the men and women who will be the civic guards and the democratic road of our society,” he said.

Soon after AŻAD was launched, the Nationalist Party lost the 1976 general election, a second electoral defeat in a row.

And democracy in Malta took a wrong turning.

AŻAD was immediately plunged into the deep end of its political mission. In the years that followed, it went from strength to strength as it organised a flurry of events that stimulated debate on various political issues amid an increasingly stifling political atmosphere.

In June 1982, Dr Tabone was forced to end AŻAD’slinks with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation. He was obliged to do so as a result of the Foreign Interference Act that was passed by the then Labour government in a phantom Parliament that was populated by seats just on the government side.

Alas, AŻAD could no longer invite overseas speakers for its political activities without government permission. Nor could it receive financial support for the organisation of its activities. It was isolated from its friends and allies in Europe.

It was the price that it had to pay for promoting a democratic environment against the wishes of the authoritarian regime of the day.

Thirty six years on, a lot of water has passed under the bridge.

But AŻAD still exists today and I am privileged to be following in the steps of Dr Tabone in leading it.

Barely two months ago, along with the AŻAD board of directors, I visited Dr Tabone at his home in St Julians to present him with a memento in recognition of what he did and what he stood for.

It was just to say, thank you, Ċensu.

Our country would not be where it is today were it not for people like him.

simon.busuttil@europarl.europa.eu

Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.