Former Minister Tonio Fenech called on political parties to return to Christian values, claiming that he had been the target of “mud-slinging”, and said that he had entered politics to make a difference and “not for the money”, in his resignation letter to the Nationalist Party, The Malta Independent on Sunday can reveal.

He began the letter, which was sent to Nationalist Party Leader Simon Busuttil on 3 May 2017, by thanking his friends, constituents and family for their support.

Admitting that this had not been an easy decision, as he had always seen politics as “a noble service”, Fenech said he was proud to have served under party leaders such as President Emeritus Eddie Fenech Adami and former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi.

He believed that he made his contribution to the country specifically when it came to the EU accession, the country’s performance during the economic recession of 2008 – and the crisis that followed – improved investment, reform, and social progress.

“We did not manage to do everything, but we did a lot,” he wrote.

Fenech conceded that there would be people who would not understand why a 47-year-old, who was elected on two districts in the last general election, would resign from politics.

He observed: “There are still those who insist that I have a lot to offer. There will be other theories, which is normal in politics, and I am conscious of it. There will probably be some form of fake news on One News.”

In his resignation letter, Fenech said he had considered his decision for a long time and wanted everyone to respect that decision as he was “convinced that [he] has achieved all [he] wanted to in politics.”

He adds “I am not resigning because I am no longer a Nationalist, or because I had some disagreement with the party. I took this decision because when I look forward to where I would like to give my service, I know I want to do it in a place that fosters unity, and where the difference we make is felt in the hearts of the people, and not just in terms of material gains.

“There are those who see politicians as political animals, who think that we get into politics because it is like a drug; who think that we have a thick skin and can take insults, insinuations, and unjust accusations based on lies. They think that we are ready to pay any price just to get elected. They think that when they vote for us they are doing us a favour, and forget that they are choosing who can contribute the most for the common good.

“Unfortunately this government reeks of this sentiment,” the former minister claimed, “that has taken our country back to politics based on favours and corruption, just like it was in the 70s and beginning of the 80s. Corruption has once again become institutionalised, this time under the guise of a pro-business attitude.”

Fenech said that he was proud to have formed part of a government that fought corruption, and was “not ready to sell its principles and values”.

He says: “We were not a perfect government and unfortunately we also made mistakes.”

There were different interpretations as to why the party lost the 2013 general election, Fenech said, and there were still a number of people who approached him and told that it was “[their] fault that [they] lost as [they] did not do what the current government did and gave favours to people.”

“We lost because the Labour Party promised the impossible, fostered a culture of favours, and today we have reached depths of corruption that this country has never seen.”

He said that the current political reality is difficult and claustrophobic, and that the only way “real change could occur is with a radical change to our electoral system, which will stop making politics a slave to an electorate that is on one side scandalised by corruption, and on the other pretends to support politicians irrespective of whether or not what they are proposing is legitimate.”

Fenech maintained that he believed that there were a number of people who thought differently: “I am convinced that there are people who voted for me and other politicians without ever meeting us and having been promised something. They voted simply on our integrity and capabilities. I want politicians to listen to these people, and less to those few who swarm around you like bees looking for nectar.”

The former minister recalls how it had been Eddie Fenech Adami who had persuaded him to enter politics. “I always saw myself involved in voluntary work, mainly in Christian youth fellowship, and not in politics.

“I remember telling Fenech Adami that I did not want to get into politics because it makes people become dirty, but he told me that ‘only you can make yourself dirty’ and assured me that he had political integrity and could not be bought.

“He convinced me that the party will have people with Christian values, who wanted to work for the common good.”

In the letter, Fenech said that he could say in good conscience that he always had integrity, even though he had been “the target of a lot of mudslinging”.

“At the end of the day, the truth remains, and the only judge is God.

“I do not want my decision to mean that Christians do not have a place in politics. Rather, I want those who enter politics to understand that it is not about glory, but service – a service that should be appreciated and not made immoral by those who cling to power.”

Unfortunately, said Fenech, current political rhetoric dictates that those who believe in Christianity should keep it to themselves.

“There is a need for Christian values in all the political parties that are ready to make a difference to truly find a balance between progress and the Christian values that built European civilisation over the last thousand years.”

He maintained that even those people who were not political needed the Christian faith if they wanted a more humane society.

“The good we achieved is blinding the majority; work and career has come before children, where convenience comes before life. Everyone looks after their rights, but has forgotten that there is also duty. We are living in an egoistic society that takes personal gain as an absolute value and does not realise that this is the recipe for destruction.”

Fenech said that the four years in Opposition had allowed him to rediscover his family.

He noted that there will be those who say that ‘now that he has made his money, he does not need to be made minister again’, but insisted that those who reasoned in such a way “understood nothing”.

“What I did, I did not do for money. When I came into politics, I gave up professional opportunities which would have placed my family in a better financial situation. These last four years I have lost a number of good opportunities because it would have come in the way of my work for the party.”

It is not his intention to resign from the party altogether, as he still believes that the PN remains the best party for the county.

“I hope that the population recognises the ridicule and decadence that the current government has brought to politics.”