Malta yesterday paid its last respects to Robert Arrigo, a former deputy leader of the Nationalist Party, whose death sparked an outpouring of sorrow that transcended the political borders of a divided country.

He was the first mayor of Sliema, the president of the locality’s football club during one of its glorious eras, and an MP who, after making it to Parliament for the first time in 2003, went on to be elected from two districts in the four elections that followed in 2008, 2013, 2017 and 2022. Saying that he was well-loved by his constituents is an under-statement.

He was a successful businessman, an expert of the tourism sector which he treasured and worked hard to see flourish, even from the Opposition benches. But, more than all of this, he was a philanthropist who worked behind the scenes to help all those who sought refuge in him.

Even as he battled cancer in the last months, he was still doing his best to be of assistance to those around him, and until his last moments was giving his contribution towards building a better country and a better society.

The older readers of The Malta Independent will also remember him as a weekly contributor to the daily newspaper. His articles, which used to be published on Fridays, were concise but full of ideas, thoughts and suggestions that furthered public debate.

We got to know him more when a libel suit was filed against him and us for a piece he had written about Maltese football in 2005. In the nine years that it took for the case to come to a close, we often met at the law courts for the hearings, and came to know a man of wisdom, great intelligence and wit. We had eventually won the case, as the Court had deemed that what Arrigo had written had been a fair comment and in line with the concepts of pluralism, tolerance and broadmindedness, without which there is no democratic society.

The principles of democracy were high on Robert Arrigo’s list of priorities. When he served as PN deputy leader, during a period of turmoil in the political party he loved so much, he always sought to bring the different factions together, and one could see his discomfort each time he had to intervene to try to build bridges when others were trying to destroy them.

He believed that the choices made by the party members were to be respected. In 2020, he had even offered his position of PN deputy leader to Bernard Grech, at the time that Grech was involved in the race for the leadership with Adrian Delia. Arrigo had then said he was willing to give up his role because his main aim was to see to the party’s interests. His suggestion had not been accepted.

Arrigo’s loyalty to the PN and love for the country was never put in doubt. But in the last few months we saw another side of him, which was certainly brought to the surface after Arrigo felt let down by the party in the way he had been treated.

In his last speech as deputy leader three months ago, Arrigo said he had been hurt when he had been side-lined by the party, and that he had been told he was only capable of fund-raising. In an interview given a few days later, he said he had felt marginalised and had also been pushed aside in the last election campaign. The PN caused me pain more than cancer did, he had said.

His uncharacteristic outburst exposed how much he had felt offended by the people who he felt had disrespected him, in spite of all that he had done for the party. It is clear that, apart from the health problems he was facing, the last months were also difficult for Arrigo for other reasons. Like everyone else, Arrigo had enemies, or people who did not like him. But they are outnumbered by far by the thousands of people who revered him and appreciated his work for decades.

Even his political adversaries valued what he did. Rarely have we seen so many people from the opposite political camp find ways to share their sorrow after Arrigo’s death, and express genuine feelings of grief.

Barely an hour had passed since news of Arrigo’s death had been announced that Prime Minister Robert Abela said that his intention is to honour him on Republic Day. “I know he did not like titles,” Abela said, but the honour is well-deserved. “He was a man who I can describe as having had a major contribution in the sporting sector, the social sector, in the tourism sector and in politics through the manner in which he could share his message and in how close he was to the people,” Abela said.

Malta is a poorer country without Robert Arrigo, a gentle man who was also a gentleman.