We make no bones about it. Richard Cachia Caruana is Malta’s most able, dedicated, bright and efficient civil servant.

Much has been said about Mr Cachia Caruana’s demenour over the years, and yes, he does have a temper and does not suffer fools easily. But the man gets results. In fact, those who have seen him work in his capacity as Malta’s Permanent Representative in Brussels can have nothing but admiration at the way he carries his role and represents our country in the biggest forum of the European Union.

When it comes to summit time, Mr Cachia Caruana is as clued up as they come. His office is stacked with neat piles of notes and documents which he personally reads through from beginning to end. It has often been a joke that his bedtime reading is never light or fictional. He is a stickler for perfection and demands it from his staff, and expects it from the media when reporting from Brussels – this is fully justified on all counts.

When he is seen in the corridors of the Justus Lypsius building, where the European Council meetings are held, he is regarded with the utmost respect of his colleagues.

Much can be said about a man, when one listens only to anecdotes and second and third hand information. To see his true worth to government and country, one must have the privilege of discussing and even ‘arguing’ with him on points of interest relevant to the task at hand.

Many also believe that Mr Cachia Caruana is unapproachable – something which this newspaper dismisses as sheer out of hand folly. As we have mentioned before, the man demands perfection, but when he sees others weigh up fact and opinion and construct a valid argument, he is more than ready to discuss and impart invaluable information.

Is he everyone’s cup of tea? Probably not. But whatever he is, the man is a doer; he is dedicated and has a sense of duty towards the country that one would not be able to find in many other Maltese.

We do not wish to bring up matters which might be painful, but we also remind the general public that an attempt was made on his life, in the course of his duties as former Prime Minister Eddie Fenech Adami’s advisor. How many of us would continue to serve our country after going through that?

This is why we cannot understand why the PfP motion was tabled by the Labour Party against Mr Cachia Caruana. We do not seek favour in writing this leading article, and we will not get it either, because this is the type of person that Mr Cachia Caruana is – a man, perhaps taciturn, with a sense of duty and integrity. The motion tabled against him smacks of jealousy and a complete misinterpretation of the wikileaks cable on the PL’s part. If anything, as a political party aspiring to be in government after the next election, the Labour Party should watch and learn from Mr Cachia Caruana, there is no shame in doing so. The only thing that Mr Cachia Caruana is guilty of, is being an irritable workaholic who puts Malta before any other interest. The motion tabled against him is utterly ludicrous.