They say that behind every great man there must be a woman.
Well, in the case of Lawrence Gonzi, that woman could have been Kate. She has been a mighty influence, as all those good Nationalists who thought they would not vote discovered before the last election.
But the real influence on Lawrence is not Kate, but Richard.
People call him RCC. I prefer to simply call him “Cardinal Richard”, like Armand Jean du Plessis de Richelieu, Cardinal-Duc de Richelieu. Consecrated as a bishop in 1607, he later entered politics, becoming a secretary of State in 1616.
Cardinal de Richelieu was often known by the title of the King’s “Chief Minister” or “First Minister”. As a result, he is sometimes considered to be the world’s first Prime Minister, in the modern sense of the term. He sought to consolidate the monarchy and crush domestic factions.
Who would contest that RCC is effectively the Prime Minister behind the Prime Minister? And that throughout his 21-year standing in the PN, he has worked to extend his power base and network to an extent that is far too complex to follow?
By restraining the power of the nobility, Richelieu transformed France into a strong centralized nation. His chief foreign policy objective was to check the power of the Austro-Spanish Hapsburg dynasty. Although he was a cardinal, he did not hesitate to make alliances with Protestant rulers in attempting to achieve this goal. His tenure was marked, among others, by the Thirty Years War.
Some useful parallels indeed. The nobility today are the other Nationalists who have had their power base trimmed: the de Marcos, the Dallis and to a certain extent Austin Gatt. Many Nationalists do not trust RCC, only a small number do.
Richelieu was also famous for his patronage of the Arts; most notably, he founded the Academie Francaise, and the Learned Society, responsible for matters pertaining to the French language.
RCC’s interest in the St John’s Cathedral extension is perhaps a case in point.
Richelieu is also known by the sobriquet l’Éminence rouge (“The Red Eminence”), from the red shade of a cardinal’s vestment. Well, RCC is undeniably l’Éminence grise.
Richelieu is also a leading character in the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, as well as the film based on the same, in which he was portrayed as a main antagonist, and a powerful ruler... even more powerful than the King himself, though events like the ‘Day of the Dupes’ show that in fact he very much depended on the King to keep this power.
And if there is a corresponding Day of the Dupes, surely the right comparison has to be the unfortunate knifing of RCC at Mdina, and the tribulations that surrounded the unreliable statements of Zeppi l-Hafi.
It is common knowledge that Richard is the brains behind many of the government’s policies.
This administration, this leadership, the dream of having this country run by one party and one creed, all belong to him.
My impression is that his idea of democracy is annihilating internal and external opposition and making any opponents irrelevant.
It was Richard who was brought in by Gonzi in the last months to save the day. This is the man who first created the quiet lawyer we came to know as Gonzi, and it will be him to ask for one of the biggest favours you could ever imagine.
And it is also Richard who has effectively made Lawrence a perpetual prisoner of Brussels. It is he who made Lawrence compulsive about reaching EU targets, neglecting in the process the bigger picture: the vast middle class Nationalist milieu.
It is Richard who discovered Lawrence as a young Catholic Action activist, and launched him as a PN candidate in 1987... even though young Lawrence was not quite ready for the job, and even less prepared for the coarse bunch of canvassers from the south that surrounded him in those eventful months before 1987.
Great men can wait, and wait he did.
Sooner rather than later, Richard pushed Gonzi into the job of Speaker... just as, years later, Louis Galea would also be pushed into that post.
As Eddie grew tired and aged, Richard looked around frantically for a replacement. He knew that Gonzi was his man.
He could not back Austin. Austin, he knew, was not exactly tolerant and would sideline him if elected PM. As for John Dalli, he would do the same. And more importantly, John Dalli was not part of the inner clique of the PN; and as such, Dalli would never tolerate the Cardinal’s interference.
So he backed Lawrence. Even though he knew that Lawrence was not of the same political calibre of either Gatt or Dalli.
But he also knew he was a good communicator, and more importantly he would guarantee Richard’s continuation.
As years progressed, the Cardinal did away with all kinds of hurdles. His first claimed fatality was John Camilleri, who was in Eddie’s personal secretariat. Camilleri left soon after the Cardinal became Eddie’s personal assistant. But more individuals would also clash and leave.
He would vet everything that took place within ministries. The smallest minutiae were probed by him and changed if necessary. His hold over certain ministers was legendary. His hysterics and shouting and melodrama? All part and parcel of his unsavoury style.
When the time came for Brigadier Calleja to resign, he did what he had to do. Then there was his attachment to the Commissioner of Police, George Grech, and his resentment at this newspaper for having uncovered the fact Grech was being investigated by a magistrate over sexual harassment.
When Grech resigned, he was not amused.
But do not for a minute believe that his displeasure at things was transmitted by himself. Rather he would get others to convey the message.
Traditionally he would use one of his ‘militias’ to do the dirty work. And the retaliation would be noxious and ruthless.
Thankfully, in my case he only strengthened my resolve and taught me that revenge, as one of RCC’s friends once told me last week, is a dish best served cold.
As was the case with Cardinal Richelieu: his true intentions were always given away by the actions of others, footsoldiers who before every election turned their profession into an orgy of odium.
A person who was a witness in the attempted murder of RCC was afterwards vilified, and his degenerative disease publicised to all and sundry. Not to mention the vilification of all those who dared question the way the case was proceeding.
The Cardinal was never to be traced: his intentions or communications were always untraceable. But the executors, well known for their affection for the Cardinal, were there – with blood on their hands.
In the last 21 years of Nationalist administration, the number of times the Cardinal has been interviewed by the press is remarkably scant. There are hardly more than five or six occasions and the interviews were always carried out by the usual journalists.
Throughout the last 20 years, we have seen perfectly timed leaks placed in the press to cause the desired effect.
The Cardinal has a closely-knit circle of friends: they are all in business and many depend on government to spread their wings. They are all big sponsors of or closely connected to the Nationalist party.
Unlike all his counterparts, the Cardinal does not get elected. He is chosen, yes, but not elected. He sits on Cabinet, but he is not answerable to any electorate.
He looks like a perfect technocrat, but unlike other technocrats he is also a political animal par excellence.
His next project is, of course, Brussels. No, not as resident ambassador – the position he presently holds – but as EU commissioner.
The Cardinal knows that next time round it will be extremely difficult to win the national election. So he needs a post that will sustain him without the benevolence of a new Labour administration.
So he expects Lawrence, the man whom he created and enthroned to Castille, to nominate him for this post.
It is a post that he should not be awarded. And the following are the reasons:
1. The Cardinal does not enjoy confidence from a large faction of Nationalists and from the vast majority of Labourites.
2. The Cardinal has never been elected or ever stood for a general election. He is not a real politician.
3. The Cardinal is primed to be a diplomat.
4. The Cardinal has a very poor relationship with the local media and shuns probing journalists.
5. The Cardinal does not speak fluent French and has teething problems with Maltese.
6. There are much better placed candidates in the PN than the Cardinal for the job.
7. The services of the Cardinal will be needed when the Nationalists lose the next election.
8. And finally – though surely a very important consideration – he will be sorely missed by myself and other friends.
In his Brussels post, the Cardinal has created a regime which is by far the costliest operation to come out of Malta, and one best described as extravagant by our standards. In 2008, his activities in Brussels cost the Maltese taxpayer as follows:
i. Salaries: €1.18 million
ii. Allowances: €1.98 million
iii. Rent (not of offices): €153,000
iv. Repair/upkeep: €109,200
v. Hospitality: €11,000
A total of over €3.5 million. Not bad, considering that apart from all these expenses, four years ago the Cardinal captained the purchase of a mega-embassy complex known as Dar Malta for the price of €20.8 million.
We were told by a well-known entrepreneur and others that this was a sound investment. Four years down the line Dar Malta is not rented out as Dr Gonzi had stated it would be. And of course MIMCOL, not the Cardinal, is facing the flak, and coming out with the convenient excuse that there is something called the “global credit crunch”.
Well, life goes on. Most especially for all those who served the Cardinal. Today, they sit on boards, committees or cosy jobs.
To preserve the Cardinal they occasionally work to demolish his opponents. And the enemy is not just Labour, but others, who may include everyone, including the de Marco family – not exactly a family noted for sharing a special friendship with the Cardinal.
The Cardinal may think that this column is the beginning of a personal crusade against him. It is not. However, it is the beginning of something else.
It marks the opening of a new chapter... of the awareness that nothing occurs by chance, that many things happen with the blessing of the Cardinal.
Stop blaming the footsoldiers. Let us point all fingers at the right person. He perpetrates the chaos. Things never happen by coincidence.
***
This Sunday edition carries two stories which are noteworthy. One, of a man who was imprisoned because he failed to pay a fine. His crime is to have kept stray dogs in care. You can follow this story in MaltaToday and on ‘Wara l-Kaz’ on TV.
The second story refers to the Stubbings and Schembri contract at the law courts – two former police inspectors found guilty of human rights abuse.
Every time I meet Nationalist diehards, they cite the Labour tendency to resort to violence if elected. Well, with the promotion of Joseph Psaila to Assistant Commissioner under a Nationalist administration (indicted on counts of false arrest and forged evidence, and the beatings of Anthony Mifsud) and the choice of two torturers and disgraced policemen to run the security at the courts, I cannot see what the fuss is all about.
As things stand, if you are really interested in a promotion or a sensitive contract you should really apply at once to join the police force – then get your hands on a Labourite and torture him or her. I suggest everyone becomes a policeman and a torturer in this administration. I also suggest that the victims tortured should all be Labourites.
If history repeats itself, then you should eventually get promoted or awarded a tender by a newly elected Labour government.
If you have any problem on following this warped logic, I sincerely suggest you write for a clarification from the Prime Minister.
And for specific details on the torturing techniques, please write to Joseph Psaila c/o Group 4 at Mater Dei, or Stubbings and Schembri at Sterling Security!
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