Lino Spiteri was a man of many talents. He was, yes, a politician but he was also an economist, a business and financial adviser, an advocate for the rights of people with special needs and a writer and, most importantly, from his point a view, a devote family man. Each role complemented the others. There is a clear advantage to not being a full-time politician. One is not cocooned from life outside of politics.

Spiteri played each of his roles to the very best of his abilities. He did this not by keeping the roles separate but by overlapping them without, however, overstepping the boundaries of correctness.

Over the past years, I have on many occasions sought the advice of Lino, particularly on the tourism industry. I valued his advice and his insights into the intricacies of the world of politics. He had a clear analytical mind which was capable of stripping a situation to its bare essential facts. His opinions were more often than not based on these facts. There were those few times, of course, where sentiments and emotions coloured or even overcame the facts. But, to me, this was a direct consequence of the fact that Lino was a passionate man and, sometimes, just sometimes, that passion could not be contained.

His writings were a testimony to this. I was an ardent follower of his Monday and Sunday column and for his contributions in the business sections of local newspapers. His excellently-penned opinion pieces were impeccably layered – one argument logically leading to the next. Even if one disagreed with his opinion, or his conclusion, at that, one could not but not admire his writings. They were never personal.

After his retirement from front line politics, Lino felt freer to write more critical analysis of the political situation in Malta. His heart was and remained till the very end bound to the Labour Party and it was therefore natural and to be expected that this coloured his writings. But this did not stop him from being critical of his own party when he felt the need to do so. His criticism was a testament of how much he loved his party more than he loved his political career. He cared enough to write and voice a dissenting opinion when he thought the party was heading the wrong way.

Lino Spiteri was a shining example of how resolve can overcome any difficulty

He was not afraid to stand up and be counted. The clearest testimony of this happened during the brief Sant administration. His decision to step down from his ministerial position must have cost him dearly on a political level but Lino placed the national and party interests before his own.

He was by all accounts a gentleman but his gentle exterior hid a strong resolve. His physical handicap did not constrain him from pursuing his academic and professional goals. He championed the cause of disabled persons main­ly by being a shining example of how resolve can overcome any difficulty.

There is one enigmatic side to Lino. He was a trusted adviser to successful entrepreneurs while harbouring strong socialist convictions. His business and financial acumen led him to have a successful career. His political beliefs and talents led him to play a major role in our political theatre for many years.

Over the years, I think he became less and less of a socialist and more of a social democrat, believing in the importance of the free market to generate wealth and a strong welfare system to help distribute that wealth in a fair manner that cared for the vulnerable.

He was also a talented fictional author. More often than not, his stories are rooted in the harsh mundane realities of life. He had an uncanny skill of elevating the common realities into something worth writing and reading about. This skill made him one of the more important Maltese novelists of the past century.

I once had a Talking Point published on a Monday. Political exigencies meant that my article had to be printed on a Monday, the day usually reserved for his column. I found out, at my expense, that Lino was not too pleased about this and, sure enough, I featured, in quite a critical manner, in his subsequent Talking Point.

Today, I am again writing a Talking Point on a Monday. I do so out of respect for a gentleman I respected and admired beyond the political divide. I do so because I believe Malta has lost a man who was not afraid to voice his opinion. I do so because I have also lost a friend.

My thoughts, of course, are with his family who I know he loved so much.

Words are never enough in these unfortunate circumstances but for all it is worth let it be said that your grief is shared by many.

Mr Spiteri’s funeral will be held at Mdina Cathedral today at 2pm.