The outstanding homily delivered by Archbishop Charles Scicluna at the Mass celebrated in St John’s Co-Cathedral to mark Malta’s Independence was a masterclass in rhetoric and the art of communication. What’s more it was a homily delivered – as all such homilies should be – in under seven minutes.

There was an added bonus. For the first time that I can recall, the long-suffering diplomatic corps and foreign representatives present were given a copy of the homily in English beforehand so they could follow what the Archbishop was preaching.

Having sat through Independence Day speeches at the co-cathedral, squirming as my fellow members of the congregation struggled to understand the Archbishop’s delivery in Maltese, this is a man who not only understands the art of good communication, but also of common courtesy.

The art of persuasion requires a leader to be capable of communicating effectively. He must be able to articulate his aims in a language which ordinary people can understand and with which they can identify. In short, he must be able to inspire support.

Like all good speeches, the Archbishop’s was clear and to the point. His focus on just four fundamental issues of unity, the common good, truthfulness, and the beauty of our natural and historical heritage enabled him to remind our political masters of where their duties of good governance lay.

That he chose to return to the dignity of Latin to express these “four transcendentals” - unum, bonum, verum and pulchrum – gave the speech a greater sense of gravitas and resonance as befitted that hallowed cathedral. Those who interpreted the homily as an admonition of the present administration alone have short memories.

Deconstructed, the homily was a rebuke to Maltese politicians and leaders of both political parties over the last 50 years, all of whom have wittingly or unwittingly for their own ends fostered polarised politics, patronage and lack of unity; have encouraged and sometimes participated personally in greed; and have consciously or unconsciously governed without either transparency or accountability. That they have destroyed the natural environment and built cultural heritage is a given.

It is unfortunate that the Prime Minister was abroad – on ‘world statesman’ duties in New York, where he delivered a well written and thoughtful speech on migration – and not in the front pew of the co-cathedral alongside the leader of the Opposition, where he would have heard for himself the Archbishop’s measured but withering indictment of Malta’s lack of good governance at first hand, all the while aware that the foreign diplomatic corps was also present to hear it.

He might have recalled that the “four transcendentals” which formed the basis of the Archbishop’s homily were those he himself had promised – but failed abjectly – to deliver four years ago when he won a historic general election victory. Unity (Malta Tagħna Lkoll and meritocracy). Goodness (‘Panama’ and the overweening acquisitiveness of big business). Truthfulness (‘Panama’ and lack of transparency and accountability). And beauty (Townsquare and Żonqor Point). Today, these make a mockery of what was promised.

In politics, moral courage derives its strength from spiritual and intellectual sources

As a general election looms in 18 months’ time, he might have pondered how he frittered away the greatest opportunity in 50 years to make a sea change to the quality of Maltese governance and politics.

As to the leader of the Opposition, despite his new-found fervour for good governance and his promise of forming “a coalition against corruption” if he were re-elected, he too in his quiet contemplation in the co-cathedral might have cast his mind back to the corruption, divisiveness and arrogance that brought his party down four years ago.

My heart sank as I read the reports of Simon Busuttil’s vacuous rhetoric to the PN faithful at the granaries the day before in which he offered the Maltese people “a chance at independent thought, independence from injustice, corruption and abuse – independence from a government that was doing the country harm”. I must assume that he meant to use the word “freedom”, since our independence in all the areas mentioned is not in question.

The Archbishop’s homily last week was not simply a vivid reminder of what defines good governance. It was also a clear hint of what the people of Malta ask of their governments and their leaders. The inescapable implication of the homily was that good governance requires inspired leadership of a calibre which Malta has hitherto lacked.

The truth of the matter is that the beginning of political leadership is a battle for the hearts and minds of men and women. The fundamental elements of the leader are the man – his sincerity and selflessness, his knowledge of human nature, his ability to grasp the essentials of a problem, and then to make the right decision.

But the heart of good governance is moral leadership. The leader must have the force of character necessary to inspire others to follow him with confidence. This comes through knowing what he wants to do and having the determination and courage to do it in a way which will carry the confidence of those around him. It involves willpower. It is the willpower and conviction that make the leader do what is required and, most importantly, see it through.

But above all, he must have complete integrity and character. For a politician, integrity is about trust. To earn it, the political leader must be honest not only with himself, but also with the people he governs. Honesty and integrity are qualities that cannot brook of any compromise.

Integrity and character, as Aristotle taught, are a habit. It is the daily choice of right instead of wrong. It is a moral quality which grows with practice and self-discipline. It is a characteristic which has its roots firmly planted in courage. Like character, courage is also a moral quality. It is a cold choice between two alternatives and the fixed resolve to choose the right course.

In politics, moral courage derives its strength from spiritual and intellectual sources. The way in which these spiritual and mental elements are blended enables the brave leader to stake his career, his whole future, on a judgement of what he thinks is right and worthwhile for the common good.

The courage to make a decision is an absolute must in a leader. A leader must have the courage to take decisions even – or perhaps especially – unpopular or difficult decisions. The supreme importance of this quality cannot be exaggerated.  Doing nothing is almost always wrong.

There are two vital attributes in a leader in any walk of life, but most especially in politics: good judgement in decision, and calmness in a crisis. Given these two attributes, he will succeed.

The good leader must have a genuine interest in, and a real knowledge of, human nature. This will always be the raw material of the politician’s trade. He must understand that bottled up in men and women are human feelings and day to day concerns. These must have an outlet which is positive and constructive. If this can be done, the greatest achievements become possible.

But if the approach is cold, self-serving, arrogant, uncaring, false and dishonest, little can be achieved. This is the basic lesson of political leadership underpinning good governance.