People are already looking more kindly upon Lawrence Gonzi’s achievements today than they did four months ago when his party suffered a crushing defeat at the polls. And history is likely to judge him kinder still.

The departure from Parliament of one of its most sterling servants in the past quarter of a century – in particular in his capacity as Speaker and then Prime Minister – is a loss to the country in an age when the political class is suffering from a dearth of quality.

If there is one thing in which he was masterful, it was the dignified manner in which he could manage crisis.

After the world economy imploded shortly after he virtually singlehandedly delivered his party a wafer-thin election victory at the polls in 2008, he spent many a sleepless night doing his best to ensure that the big foreign players on the island – which were, let’s not be under any illusions, on the brink – remained here.

Unfortunately for him in electoral terms, much of this behind-the-scenes work went unnoticed, partly because he himself wanted it to be unnoticed. And the majority of people who remained in their jobs failed to notice it too, probably because his approach ensured they did not realise how close they were to losing their livelihoods.

The Libyan crisis in 2011 was much higher profile, but there was still a large amount of paddling underwater in private that few were unaware of. What people did see, and perhaps took for granted, was a Prime Minister directing with utmost calm one of the largest evacuations in recent history while dealing with the potential threat from a close neighbour after he refused to hand back two prized fighter jets which landed in Malta after their pilots defected.

This will no doubt go down as his finest moment of the past legislature. But people should not underestimate the dignity he displayed against the oppressive context of a selection of revolting backbenchers who mounted an onslaught upon him just days after the Nationalist Party won the 2008 election.

Many, including us, questioned his method in dealing with them. Did he stretch it out too long? We would say yes. Could he have taken some better decisions along the way? We would also say yes.

Throughout the past legislature there were well-documented mistakes – the honoraria issue, the approach to divorce and the siege mentality, that was the curse of the PN, among them. But no one can deny his calm, stoic fortitude throughout and his steely determination to do what he saw as the right thing.

It would also be highly unfair to look at the Gonzi legacy purely from the perspective of the past three, turbulent years.

This is a man who took on the most difficult of mantles when he succeeded Eddie Fenech Adami, a living legend, in 2004.

With it came the enormous practical challenge of adapting Malta as a new EU member – with all the obligations and commitments that brought with it.

Dr Gonzi did not just manage this on a micro level (too micro for his own good, perhaps), but he conducted himself in an exemplary fashion on the European stage: speaking when words needed to be spoken, fighting the cause when it needed to be fought; speaking out on issues (such as migrants) when he realised it would lose him votes.

In doing this he earned the respect of other leaders, which made him a prime ambassador of which Malta should be proud. It would be a great tragedy for this country if his contribution were to end here.