As the curtain falls on Lawrence Gonzi’s nine-year stretch as Prime Minister, the man leaves behind a mixed legacy.
At 59, Dr Gonzi exits the Nationalist Party leadership in a few months’ time and although he will continue to be compared to his predecessor Eddie Fenech Adami, he can be credited for writing his own chapter.
Dr Gonzi may not have had the historical issues of fighting for democracy and EU membership to bank on, as Dr Fenech Adami did, but he certainly left his mark on this country’s economic management.
With roots in the private sector – he served with the Mizzi Organisation as group chairman between 1989 and 1997 – his taking over of the party’s helm in 2004 brought about a new focus on public finances.
When he became Prime Minister nine years ago he also occupied the post of Finance Minister and embarked on a deficit-reduction exercise with the intention of creating a surplus.
The reins on the public purse were kept tight until the 2008 election came along.
Pre-electoral spending gave rise to fiscal slippage, which was overshadowed by the global recession that hit in the closing months of 2008 and 2009.
Adopting a mixture of targeted personal tax cuts, the removal of subsidies on utilities and the reform of government companies through closure or privatisation, Dr Gonzi created his own brand of economic management.
It put Malta at the top of the EU league table alongside Germany but it also squeezed families who were shocked to be paying the highest utility bills ever.
The economy was Dr Gonzi’s pride: he campaigned on its strength in 2008 and this year. But his legacy will also be marked by the internal political strife that characterised his second legislature. One after the other backbenchers revolted, openly criticising his leadership style, sometimes voting against the Government or abstaining.
The reasons for dissent were varied, sometimes personal and illogical, but it was Dr Gonzi’s attempt to buy time and appease his opponents that some saw as problematic.
His Government survived one political crisis after another but in the process lost a minister, Malta’s EU representative and its one-seat parlia-mentary majority.
His handling of the Libya crisis two years ago was undoubtedly Dr Gonzi’s finest hour as he faced stark choices in the wake of developments in Malta’s southern neighbour.
Dr Gonzi’s actions, including a condemnation of the Gaddafi regime early on in the conflict and the country’s unstinting efforts to help evacuate foreign nationals from Libya, were widely praised internationally.
But much as the Libya crisis was a feather in Dr Gonzi’s cap, it was his handling of the divorce issue that left a black spot on his premiership. The passage of time will not erase his decision to vote against divorce legislation in Parliament.
Faced by a Private Members’ Bill put forward by one of his own backbenchers, Dr Gonzi had suggested the best way to go about the issue was to have a referendum.
He took a strong stand against divorce but when the people overwhelmingly voted ‘yes’, he was left with the stark choice of voting against the law – despite the referendum result – or voting in favour with a perturbed conscience.
He chose the first option, earning himself widespread criticism for ignoring a referendum that he had asked for.
Historians may yet deliver a positive judgement on Dr Gonzi’s decade, but in the months to come he could well write more pages in the chapter of his political career.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com