A monument dedicated to literary giant Oliver Friggieri was unveiled in Floriana last Monday, three years after his death.

Friggieri was a monumental figure in the literary world, but most of all he was a thinker, someone whose opinions and thoughts were a cut above the rest and always sought what was best for the nation and its people.

In a world where social media has brought out the worst of humanity and where everyone believes that his or her opinion is the best, the humility of Friggieri stands out – because the more people know, the more they understand their limitations.

Friggieri knew this well. Unlike the thousands of others who think that the sun revolves around them. Friggieri was an influencer in the real sense of the word, not as many understand it to be in the world of today.

At the unveiling ceremony, Prime Minister Robert Abela said that one factor that characterised Friggieri throughout his life is that although he understood Malta’s frailties and defects, he never belittled it.

His criticism, sometimes harsh, always came from the heart because he knew that the Maltese could be better and he believed in their possibilities. Even if you did not agree with him, you listened to what he had to say because his words carried meaning and were always written or said in the best interests of the nation.

Malta needs many more thinkers like Friggieri, but they are hard to come by.

We need people with the intelligence and knowledge that Friggieri possessed, who rise above the petty partisan politics which often blind people into following what their party dictates without questioning it.

We need people with the humbleness and love that Friggieri showed across the different times our nation has gone through, and explains them with the same clarity and objectivity that he did.

We need people with Friggieri’s strength of mind and lucidity of thought who speak out to make us all better, not because of a personal interest or in search of glory, but because of a genuine affection towards Malta and all that is Maltese.

Like any work of art, the monument dedicated to Friggieri did not receive an overall consensus. Some criticised its shape and form, others think that they knew Friggieri well enough to say that he would not have liked it.

It’s probable that Friggieri would not have liked the idea of a monument dedicated to him in the first place.

But, aside from all these considerations, his real monument is the volumes of words that he has written. While the bronze sculpture in Floriana stands as a memory to the man, what is important is that we continue to treasure his work, and that the younger generations of today are exposed to his literary masterpieces.

It is only when we collectively give attention to what people like Friggieri said and wrote that the country can really take that forward step.