Guido de Marco received glowing accolades yesterday at the unveiling of a statue in his memory outside the law courts in Valletta.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat described him as one of the greatest statesmen Malta ever had in a short speech during which he recalled the former political foe’s insistence that Malta punched above its weight in its Mediterranean role.

The bronze monument, the brainchild of Alfred and Aaron Camilleri Cauchi, depicts Prof. de Marco with an outstretched hand, which according to former European Court of Human Rights judge Giovanni Bonello, seems to invite people to shake hands.

He always sought consensus through persuasion

In his speech, Dr Bonello recalled Prof. de Marco’s “obsession” with bridge building that the statue conveyed.

“His autobiography titled The Politics of Persuasion aptly described his way of life... he always sought consensus through persuasion,” Dr Bonello said, recalling also Prof. de Marco’s brilliant career as a criminal lawyer.

The statue of Guido de Marco is unveiled in Valletta yesterday in the presence of his son Mario and daughters Giannella and Fiorella de Marco.

The event kicked off with Prof. de Marco’s own voice reading an excerpt from his book dealing with what it meant to be Maltese.

His daughters Giannella and Fiorella then read excerpts of his last parliamentary speech and the inaugural speech when he was appointed President in 1999.

In a short note, Prof. De Marco’s son Mario, the Nationalist Party deputy leader, said his father was influenced by the people he mixed with on a daily basis, including those who did not agree with him politically.

Prof. de Marco had a 33-year parliamentary career that started in 1966 and came to an end in 1999 when he was appointed President. He also served as PN deputy leader and deputy prime minister under Eddie Fenech Adami, and piloted Malta’s application to join the EU in the early 1990s.

Opposition leader Simon Busuttil, former presidents George Abela, Eddie Fenech Adami and Ugo Mifsud Bonnici, MPs from both sides of the House and members of the judiciary and legal profession were present for the unveiling.