A true example

Tony Galdes was one of the finest public officers ever to serve in the Civil Service, going on to make a telling contribution in the private sector. He returned to the public sector as Governor of the Central Bank, and later was a key part of the early consideration of pensions reform.

Throughout, wherever he carried out the heavy responsibilities entrusted to him, he applied himself without reservation through a common theme - he served truly, and he was true to himself.

Our paths crossed when there was a change of government in June, 1971. Tony was a dynamo at the Ministry of Finance during the years of the outgoing Nationalist Administration. No transition to a new party in office - and thereby to an inevitably different style of going about doing or undoing things - is ever easy.

Initially, various high public officers held their breath in suspense, when Labour took over that early summer. From the Research Division of the Central Bank, where I functioned at the time, I could observe closely and to an extent be part of what was going on.

Within minutes of Dom Mintoff entering the Auberge d'Aragon in the evening as the new Prime Minister, he inundated Alfred Wirth, the Administrative Secretary (head of the Civil Service), with queries and tasks to accomplish before the next day dawned.

Among others, Edgar Mizzi, the Attorney General, the right-hand man and more of the defeated Nationalist Prime Minister, George Borg Olivier, was initially in no-man's land.

Then, as a Cabinet Minister was to tell me, PM Mintoff put it to the Cabinet that Edgar had gone to him with a simple point. If you want my services and I have your trust, I shall serve you and Malta to the best of my abilities, and as loyally as I did Dr Borg Olivier. He did, too.

Not before long most of the top civil servants slotted into the new Labour machine, confirming the tradition that a public servant serves the country. At the Ministry of Finance there was a similar relatively smooth transition.

Tony Galdes, along with Edgar Wadge and Joe Rizzo, remained central to the Ministry's functions. In time he became acting permanent secretary ('acting' only because acting appointments were in vogue, at the time).

Until, that is, the Finance Minister and the Prime Minister saw less than eye-to-eye over an internal matter concerning another minister. A very tough letter from the ministry was at the root of strong Cabinet discord.

The Minister of Finance, Notary J.F. Abela, soon declared publicly that he was fed up, had had enough, and left. Behind the scenes, Tony Galdes bore the brunt of the PM's anger.

He became a conspicuous absence from the ministry. Staying on after a meeting with the PM I attended as head of the Central Bank, I brought up the issue. I told Mr Mintoff that Tony Galdes was being blamed unfairly - he had not concocted the affair, as somehow implied in the manner in which he was ostracized.

In that case, the Prime Minister replied, tell him to report back for work.

I visited Tony at his home, in Balzan. He said he appreciated the intervention, and its conclusion, but told me that his days in the Civil Service were over.

While sad that the area I too worked in would lose such a large and important presence as his, I appreciated and admired Tony's stand. It is not every day that one comes across someone who will not let circumstances drive him into not remaining true to himself.

Tony remained that also in the way he went about it. He did not feign illness, to take as much early pension as he could have done, leaving miraculous recovery to the next change of government.

He used the mechanism whereby he took a very minimal amount of pension, about Lm1 a week, I seem to recall, to allow him to take other employment, openly.

In the private sector Tony Galdes became a key part of the backbone of the Farsons Group. Our paths crossed again while he was an executive director there, and I was shadow spokesman on finance and the economy.

Along with other members of the Labour parliamentary group, doing homework for the coming (1996) general election, I went to Farsons for an exchange of views. Tony was one of the small team, headed by Louis A. Farrugia, we discussed with.

His restrained and focused comments on the situation and on possible future policy was the clear voice of deep experience across the public and private spectrum, capability and sense.

I only followed his subsequent progress through the media. After six years as Governor of the Central Bank, that included his final service to the public, on the pensions reform committee, which he headed.

In the latter role it became evident he was moving off-track with those politically responsible for the sector.

He eventually resigned from the reform group. Reading the outcome, especially in between the lines, it was easy to see that Tony Galdes had again remained true to himself, to his conviction of how things should - and should not - be done.

He knew no other way. He is an example to follow, and an abiding memory his dear ones will remain proud of, also for that aspect of it.