In its heyday, Bell Laboratories was called “a factory for ideas”. But some employees were far more productive than others. It was found they had only one thing in common. They all were in the habit of sharing lunch or breakfast with an engineer called Harry Nyquist. “He drew them out,” one scientist said, “Got them thinking.”
In Malta, the late Rev. Professor Peter Serracino Inglott (1936-2012) was a catalyst like Nyquist. A conversation with Fr Peter was something sought by many public- and private-sector experts and leaders spanning a wide range of fields.
From 1963, when he returned to Malta after his studies abroad, until his death, Fr Peter (as he was known) was an influential figure bridging the wide networks of Church, politics, and culture in Malta.
At the University of Malta, he served variously as librarian, head of the philosophy department, acting head of the economics department, dean of the faculty of arts, and chairperson of the Mediterranean Institute. It was during his term as rector that the university began its ambitious, visionary expansion after the ruinous education policy of the 1980s.
He is most remembered as a senior adviser of prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami. But, as Daniel Massa’s biography, Kingmaker, shows, his advice was also sometimes sought by Giorgio Borg Olivier and Dom Mintoff, as well as Lawrence Gonzi.
In the 1980s, he helped the Chamber of Commerce draft its proposals for a renewed economy. In the 1990s, he helped draft the technology policy of Malta and the Commonwealth. Many Maltese professionals today, spread across fields as disparate as architecture, maritime law, public administration, and the arts, freely acknowledge the debt they owe Fr Peter.
His Sunday Times of Malta column ran from 2007 to 2011. Called ‘Fr Peter’s Perspective’, it was distinguished by its rationality and imagination. In writing or during a TV discussion, Fr Peter did not just argue for or against; he reframed the entire issue.
In a long, energetically lived life, he was catalyst, proponent, advocate, and mentor for some of the most important ideas and policies discussed in Malta – always with an eye on renewal and strategic innovation.
On March 16, the 12th anniversary of his passing, Fondazzjoni Peter Serracino Inglott was launched. The distinguished speakers included the architect, Richard England, who paid tribute to Fr Peter as cultural catalyst; the philosopher Joe Friggieri, who spoke of Fr Peter the moderniser; and Archbishop Charles Scicluna, who spoke of Fr Peter as an exemplar of civic morality and duty.
We sorely miss Fr Peter’s perspective in Malta today. There is a place for
the cut and thrust of politics as well as the militancy of civil society organisations and advocacy groups. But our democracy also sorely needs the long-term, holistic approach that Fr Peter brought to issues, capable of bypassing polarisation and reframing how we see things.
Fondazzjoni Peter Serracino Inglott is pledging to bring back this approach to public life. Its mission includes the preservation of Fr Peter’s archives and the promotion of his ideas. A key aim is also to develop Fr Peter’s legacy to address challenges he did not live to see.
It’s a legacy that sees public dialogue – informed, inclusive, interdisciplinary, and measured – as a way of life. The foundation has promised an active programme of events. It welcomes all expressions of interest sent to fondazzjonipsi@gmail.com.
We wish it all the success. Fr Peter’s perspective is still needed in a Malta that is civically demoralised and politically adrift.