Dr. Guido de Marxo B.A., LL,D (1931-2010) was a Nationalist Member of Parliament and Secretary General of the Nationalist Party when we first met at the Speakers’ Chambers on 10th July 1973 during a session of the House of Representatives.
‘I am an MP since 1966. My background is working class. This influenced my thinking. The PN exists for the workers. The PN is the party of the nation.
In 1971 we got an absolute majority in six districts, the MLP in three districts, 1 district was in the balance.
Now the problem is unemployment, our government reduced it to the lowest figure in the history of Malta.
We don’t sell or rent our country to others, like Mintoff did with the British and NATO. We had a defence agreement with our friends, the British.
We created an independent Malta and made it economically independent. We created factories, industries, tourism and agriculture. We increased the standard of living and also eliminated unemployment. We brought the factories to the workers. Now with the Labour Corps: if you fail to go to work you are sent to prison.
The agreement with Britain ruined the island. Mintoff in Helsinki acted as the godfather of the Arabs.
Socialism: fight of the classes. You cannot build a nation on that.
I belonged to the DNP (the party of Dr. Herbert Ganado; AK). But I disagreed with it about independence during 1962-64 and I left the party. The DNP was formed because not all NP members agreed with the party policy against Mintoff. We thought it was not vigorous enough. In the statutes of the party was written: Independence within the Commonwealth.
Borg Olivier gave Mintoff a rope and he hanged himself. Borg Olivier’s long term effect is more effective than you think when he makes his moves. He hates to kink out people. In his opinion they have to remove themselves when they fail, what his ministers did not do in 1968 0r 1969.
Mgr. Gonzi is a vigorous personality.
Mr. Mintoff was wrong in ousting issues which put the church in a position to oppose him. Out of evil some good does come, but this does not make it good itself what Mintoff did. He used vulgar language and the archbishop had to react. The Archbishop acted as he thought best in the circumstances.’
At my question if the PN did gain from the quarrel he replied: ‘If a party makes a mistake, the other party is bound to win from it.’
‘Mgr. Gerada is looking for something. Some Vatican diplomats later reflect to look what happened with their priestly vocation. The Maltese are not accustomed to their priests and bishops acting like diplomats. Things like swimming with Mintoff is his way of doing. But the PN was a bit hurt by the church overdoing it a bit by having dinner together.
The peace between the church and the MLP is uneasy, because everything is uneasy with Mintoff.
I am a practicing Catholic’.
**
It took more than a decade before I met Dr. De Marco again.
In the eighties of the previous century I was asked to visit the Papal Pro-Nuncio to the Netherlands in The Hague Mgr. (later Cardinal) Edward Idris Cassidy. I told him about my studies in Malta and presented him with copies of ‘Ptrelates and Politicians in Malta’ and the two volumes on Lord Strickland I co-authored with Harrison Smith. Mgr. Cassidy, an Australian was aware of Strickland’s controversial administrative activities in colonial Australia (‘he was a pain in the ass’).
Mgr. Cassidy suggested I should present these books as well to Pope John Paul II during my forthcoming visit to Rome. He would inform the Holy See about me.
A few months later, after arriving in Rome, I was asked to meet a certain monsignor at the Vatican, who told me that, unfortunately, the Holy Father did not hold private audiences. Instead, I was allowed, along with a few other people, to take a seat in the front row at a public audience next week. Afterwards, the Pope would speak with each of us individually, and I could hand him the books.
I realized that I did not have any copies of the books with me. As they were sold in Malta by Progress Press I phone my friend Laurence Grech at the Sunday Times of Malta who told me not to worry, he would take care of this.
A few days later I got a phone call, from Dr. Guide de Marco: ‘I am in Rome and I have your books with me.’ The next day we met at the famous Caffè Greco, where Dr. De Marco handed me the books and told me how much he had enjoyed reading them. He explained to me this was the place where Fortunato and later Enrico Mizzi used to go when they were in Rome. We had a very pleasant conversation and bid each other farewell as dear friends.
**
In the next years we met very often. He told me about his negotiations with Mintoff, which resulted in the 1987 connotational changes
When he was elected President of the General Assembly of the United Nations het would joke to me: ‘They have made me President of the World’. As Minister of Foreign Affairs he offered me an honorary consulate of Malta in the Netherlands. I had to decline this generous offer for personal reasons.
**
Another time I had just arrived in Malta and visited my friend Joe Micallef Stafrace at this office in Strait Street, Valletta. When I entered Joe’s room I heard him mentioning my name. When he hung up the phone, he added that I was expected at the palace the next day at 10 o’clock for an audience with the President of the Republic of Malta: Guido de Marco.
The next day the President embraced me and kissed me on both cheeks. When I called him Your Excellency he reprimanded me: ‘No Excellency Adrianus: For you I will always be Guido.
**
After his retirement I was happy to visit him a few times at his residence in Hamrum. It was always a great pleasure to listen to this flowery language. I loved this man.
A fitting tribute was paid to him by erecting his statue in front of the law courts in Valletta. Whenever I pass it I salute my dear friend.
(Originally posted on Facebook, 25th July 2026)