Maurice Abela, who died this week, was one of the great builders of the Maltese modern civil service, his career in it spanning the colonial, Borg Olivier, Mintoff, Mifsud Bonnici and Fenech Adami administrations, and lasting well into the late 1990s and later.

With other protagonists like Frederick Amato Gauci, Edgar Mizzi and Frans Hili, he was among the best-attuned to the needs for a modernisation of civil service perspectives, duties and work practices. And they did do their best to ensure that this modernisation happened.

In Abela’s case, his contribution was backed by studies abroad from which he brought back competences that the civil service did not have previously.  They gave him a unique understanding of Malta’s economic and social realities that was never bookish but anchored to the real-time consequences of administrative action. This made him realistic about the extent to which political and economic reforms could be pushed forward but well-equipped to drive forward the administrative effort needed to somehow get them implemented.

Two qualities stood out in his approach, competitive as it was: loyalty to the government of the day and a commitment to hard work at all times. His long and distinguished career had several ups and downs, but the ups quickly succeeded the downs as it was realised by successive governments that he was really committed to the civil service ethos of loyal service to whoever was in government.

The advice he gave was always what he thought would be best given prevailing circumstances and in tune with prevailing government policies, but then he would follow and defend the adopted line even when it went contrary to what he had advised. Meanwhile, his ability to work full time at all times was legendary, giving him another competitive edge among his fellows.

I remember him with respect as a negotiator for the Borg Olivier administration with the then EEC on matters related to the Malta-EEC Association Agreement; for a time, under the first Mintoff administration, as the permanent secretary at the Commonwealth and Foreign Affairs Ministry where I served; under the second and third Mintoff and then the Mifsud Bonnici administrations as a top trouble-shooter and administrative fixer; later as a clear-headed consultant on international economic relations for the public sector between 1996 and 1998. At all times, his performance was impressive.

My condolences go to all his family.