This was one of those weeks that leaves its mark. Sadly, not for the good reasons.

I followed the Jean Paul Sofia debate closely, and like the rest of the country, I was immensely disappointed by the vote taken on Wednesday night. The plight of a wounded mother and sorrowful family, together with the anger of thousands who signed a petition for a public inquiry to take place, to truly investigate the circumstances in which Jean Paul Sofia, a 20-year-old died in a construction site last year, were not enough to sway the resolve of the party in government, as the motion was defeated.

I was lost for words, which is not a good place to be in for a politician. How can I ever approach this mother, and tell her how gravely the political class has failed her? How can I ever look her in the eyes and tell her that for some mysterious reason, her son will never be granted justice? How can I be in the presence of all those who lost a dear one on a construction site and tell them that the obscene system will prevail, and their grief is for nothing?

This week, we saw a party in government performing the most unthinkable verbal gymnastics to justify their position, which absolutely no one understood. If there ever was a time when the right thing to do was so clearly distinct from wrong, this was it – yet all 40 Labour Party members of Parliament chose to silence their consciences and bow to the pressure.

I want to think that these 40 elected politicians were forced to tow the party line. I want to think that deep down their moral convictions told them otherwise, yet their loyalty was misguided.

Obviously, this doesn’t excuse them in the least. Actually, in my eyes, it makes them even more guilty of failing to live up to the promise they made the first day they entered Parliament. “To be loyal to the Republic and the people of Malta and its Constitution,” they swore.

How were they loyal to the people of Malta on Wednesday, when they failed Jean Paul so gravely? How were they loyal to the people of Malta when they couldn’t even look up from their phones as Jean Paul’s grief-stricken family was being escorted out of the House of Representatives like a common mob? Who are they being loyal to then? Who are they protecting? Has this administration become so rotten to the absolute core, that it cannot even see right from wrong in this circumstance? Has the once great Workers’ Party been hijacked by a small powerful lobby so blatantly that the Prime Minister is incapable of taking a stand? The country had such high hopes for you Dr Abela – you disappoint so gravely!

I see young mothers and fathers on the government benches, some of whom have young children who I am convinced they would leap into a blaze for. Yet they failed to express a shred of humanity when it came to someone else’s child. I wonder what they felt on Wednesday night, when they tucked in their young ones and kissed them good night. I honestly hope they were at peace with themselves and their loved ones, as they laid their heads on their pillow.

Our government has failed us and it is time for the people to stand up once again to bring change. Like we did in 2019, we need to protest once again, against this corrupt regime that has dragged every last bit of decency that remained in this country, through the mud. If we don’t, we will share the blame with them.