The writing was on the wall but we chose to ignore it. It had to come to this to become glaringly obvious to anyone with a modicum of common sense that we are now the miserable citizens of a state where crooks and criminals abetted by some members of the political class hold sway. 

Daphne Caruana Galizia may have had a sharp tongue but it was her sharp intellect which led to her brazen, untimely death.  Daphne Caruana Galizia earned a reputation for commenting on what was being whispered in social circles, to investigate rumours and corroborate them with hard evidence, to perceive and go after what she often termed “hunches” and to ferret what most times became common knowledge months, if not years, after.  She did not look at faces or affiliation.  Wrong had one meaning in her books and wrong had to be exposed for what it is. 

The posthumous outpouring of grief which erupted as the news of her death made the international headlines emphasised the mightiness of the pen, the pen which earned her the respect of some, and the wrath of others.  She was formidable in life, but in the most tragic and poignant of ways, she has become gigantic in death. Because nothing like her death exposed the ugliness of our present situation, manifestly showing the way our institutions have been eroded and are now in tethers. Make no mistake, this was no accidental failure, but the work of years systematically dissembling the institutions of a democratic state, and filling them up with cronies and people whose only intent was to serve government and not the people. Yet, we have been blinded with the aura of wealth, this false feel-good factor which makes us look more like a sect than a nation.  Even those of us who perceived the truth of her words were far from discerning the breadth of this monstrosity that has taken over our country.   How frustrated she must have felt, and how courageous she was to single-handedly continue her crusade for truth to be exposed!

Investigative journalism is not a common commodity in our country and we are the poorer for it.  Daphne was its most fierce exponent and now she’s gone. We are all complicit in allowing the state of affairs to come to this but there are those whose duty it is to do more, and on whom the burden of action falls heavily.

The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms became part of Maltese law since 1987.  The Court of Human Rights passing judgment on infringements to Article 10 (freedom of speech) not only acknowledges enhanced freedom of journalists as opposed to ordinary citizens. In light of the important functions journalists perform, the Court upholds for example presentation and editorial freedom including also recourse to exaggeration.  It also acknowledges protection against physical violence and intimidation and, in certain circumstances the state may be required to extend additional protection to journalists.  It is accepted, at least in civilized countries that writing on matters of crime and corruption exposes one to life-threatening dangers and that the state must be pro-active in protecting those who put their life on the line for the public good.   One may surmise that government had no interest in protecting Daphne Caruana Galizia once it was the target of much of her writing.  But the obligations should be clear to all.

Responsibility continues to be shunned even now following her brutal assassination.   The Prime Minister, the Minister responsible for the police and the Commissioner should resign irrespective of who commissioned the assassination.  Just the very fact that one can commission such a barbaric act in Malta, plan it meticulously, get one’s hands on the required explosives and quite obviously monitor a citizen’s movements means that the police and intelligence services have not done their job.

This was no car accident or an argument that got out of hand but a murder planned in all its gruesome detail.  The fact that the environment in Malta allows this without being caught or without the police and intelligence knowing that something is being planned means that they have no idea what is going on in Malta.  It means that they have no idea what criminals are up to. It means that they have no idea who is crossing our borders.  It further means that we are not safe at all.  They must resign.  We must be resolute in our commitment to bring this about. We owe it to Daphne Caruana Galizia's family.

 

 

George Pullicino is a former PN MP and former minister.