Laurence Grech and the Cost of Forgetting Greatness

The death of Laurence Grech came as a surprise to many. I have very fond memories of him. He was the one who encouraged me and gave me space in his newspaper when he was still editor of The Sunday Times. I still remember sending him articles for the university page, Ibn Campusino.

Many tributes are rightly being written in his honour. Yet it is difficult not to notice that some of the praise now being expressed comes from individuals and circles that, at the time, ensured that Grech was gradually sidelined. One of the few appreciations that acknowledged this reality was written by the former editor of The Malta Independent, Noel Grima, who observed that Grech’s tenure ended in rather unceremonious terms. Those who followed ensured that he was permanently pushed aside.

The institution that suffered most from this decision was The Times itself. From occupying one of the most prominent buildings in Valletta, in a prime location close to Castille, the seat of power, the newspaper was later moved to Imrieħel and, more recently, to more modest premises in Tal-Pietà, with insufficient facilities even for its employees. Such changes speak volumes about what happens when experience and greatness are not valued as they should be.

Hypocrisy is unfortunately all too common, and it is striking to see how some who once undermined him are now writing glowing eulogies. In truth, Laurence Grech was a great editor — perhaps the last truly great editor of The Sunday Times. After him, the slow but steady decline of what had once been a national institution began.

Thank you, Laurence Grech, for what you did for our country, and for keeping The Times a beacon of integrity and truth for as long as you did.