History is being and will continue to be much kinder to Lawrence Gonzi than reality was at the time he was prime minister.

Matters are much clearer with the benefit of hindsight, and a distanced analysis of his tenure enables a better understanding of events.

He is so far the only leader of a political party to have taken it to a third electoral victory in a row. Mintoff lost in the perverse 1981 election after his successes in 1971 and 1976, but Eddie Fenech Adami did not win in 1981 either, which would have given him a trio of triumphs.

But there is of course much more to Lawrence Gonzi than this particular feat. It was thanks to Lawrence Gonzi that Malta overcame the stiffest economic crisis for nearly a century without as much as a dent, while other countries, to this day, are still feeling the blows of the wrong decisions they took. It was his vision and acumen that saw Malta deal with the effects of the Libyan revolution in a way that was admired by all around.

Yes, he made his mistakes, foremost among which are the way he handled the parliamentary honoraria issue, the way the PN lost touch with the electorate and did not understand the people’s needs, the way he allowed the party to get into a financial mess from which it is still to recover and the public transport failed reform. The accumulation of back-stabbing incidents also contributed to the staggering defeat the PN succumbed to in the last general election.

But Malta is still benefiting from the Gonzi legacy. Last month, the Labour government inaugurated the energy interconnector with Sicily, a project that was conceived, initiated and implemented by Lawrence Gonzi. Smart City, the oncology hospital, the life sciences research centre and, let’s not forget, the €1.12 billion in EU funds are all happening because of Lawrence Gonzi.

Today, there will be the inauguration of another project that bears the name of Lawrence Gonzi. The new Parliament building will be officially opened to give this institution the home it deserves. And, again, this was a project that has the Lawrence Gonzi hallmark.

No doubt, his successor Joseph Muscat will hypocritically shower Lawrence Gonzi with praise when we all know what kind of opposition he put up against the parliament project and the way Labour had attacked the previous administration for even thinking of it.

The PM already tried to lay a trap for Dr Gonzi, inviting him to lead the opening ceremony in a bid to score some political points and attempt to embarrass the former PN leader. But Dr Gonzi is too shrewd to fall for it, and returned the invitation to the sender, politely reprimanding him for his lack of knowledge on how things should be done – that such a historic event is to be led by the President of the Republic, not by a former prime minister.

Lawrence Gonzi will be taking a back seat today. But, just as much as Renzo Piano will be remembered for the physical design of the building, Lawrence Gonzi will be remembered for its political architecture.