Joseph Grima’s book of memoirs, Memories from the Front Line, provides exceptional insight into the development of the public service over a 50-year period, from 1956 to 2005, covering the most important events in Malta’s history.
His career spanned from serving a colonial government to direct rule from the UK, to serving the government of independent Malta, as it moved from a constitutional monarchy to a Republic and eventually to membership of the European Union.
As a true public servant, he served loyally without ulterior motives other than the good of Malta, five prime ministers, each one having one’s own political agenda. He does have the enviable quality of being able to deal with persons of different characters and personalities without losing his composure.
The autobiography shows that he was very good at managing relations between the holders of political office and the public service without creating unnecessary friction.
The various events in Malta’s political history each brought about its challenges and its process of change. Moreover, the change of prime ministers also brought about change. Experiencing such change from “the front line”, as Grima describes it, must have been most interesting, but it also enabled him to participate actively and to influence the course of history.
The style of writing is conversational and at no point does Grima seek any self-gratification through these memoirs. He is factual and objective, while demonstrating his commitment to the public service.
Grima was also not the type of person who would accept to do nothing when he recognised that change was necessary. He was capable of effecting radical change in a quiet way.
An analysis of the various changes that took place at various levels when he was the Head of the Public Service, demonstrates such radical change, but he made sure that the big bang approach was never used.
At no point does Grima seek any self-gratification through these memoirs
Another important quality of Grima was his foresight. When others thought that the changes he wanted to introduce appeared to be change for change’s sake, he made sure that the public service was well prepared for the challenges that lay ahead.
There are various examples in the book that demonstrate these two qualities. The reform that was required in preparation for Malta’s accession to the EU is just one of them.
This was no easy task as each department was required to review its work, review the relevant legislation and prepare input for Malta’s negotiating position.
I took part in some of this preparatory work, and with the knowledge of hindsight, I can now say that his guidance to the rest of the Civil Service proved to be invaluable.
Grima was also a strong believer in the need to modernise the public service and make it more relevant to the needs of society. He was unwavering in his promotion of the use of information technology.
He was a staunch believer in the ‘merit principle’, which he sought to introduce in legislation that the public service proposed to government. Maybe more than any other, he removed seniority as a guarantee for promotion, and sought to promote persons who were more qualified academically or through demonstrated competence.
He certainly did not need any lessons in diversity as on his watch the profile of officers in top positions changed drastically.
By the time he left the public service, heads of departments were much younger and more women held positions as directors.
Grima put into practice the philosophy of servant leadership, where his goal as a leader was to serve.
These memoirs are a must for those who want to acquire insight into how the public service developed over the years.