Two magistrates have come into the public eye this week. Magistrate Aaron Bugeja, who is handling the difficult investigation into the Egrant case that was first exposed by Daphne Caruana Galizia, was named by Maria Efimova in her video conference with MEPs. As we all know, Efimova has handed over all the documents she held to him. Her testimony to the European Parliamentarians changed nothing to what we were told by Daphne herself and by the various newspapers at the time. Magistrate Bugeja has the unenviable task of handling an inquiry that potentially, has many serious consequences, whichever way it goes, and possibly, some tough punishments for whoever is discovered to be the guilty party in a situation that many of us see as fraught with suspense.  Let us all hope that, thanks to his hard work, truth will finally prevail.

The other magistrate, Donatella FrendoDimech, showed her seriousness and impartiality when she explained her link (however slight) with Daphne’s family, ensuring thereby that the case would not be jeopardised over any technicality, however trivial it might seem. The difficulty of the case may be seen in the fact that the court was obliged to nominate lawyers to represent the defendants – obviously, this is one‘hot potato’ no one really wants to pick up, but justice must be done, and delivered fairly.

Besides the two magistrates, a whole list of people have caught public attention, as they received the most prestigious honours this country can bestow. Many deserve their award, and should be warmly congratulated. Others do not. I fully concur with Marlene and Godfrey Farrugia’s objection to the awarding of a ‘Gieħir-Repubblika’ to Joe Debono Grech. Let us say, diplomatically, that oftentimes, the man’s behaviour was definitely not in keeping with his public role as a minister. His threat to Marlene Farrugia in parliament in 2015 reminded me of the terrible times some of us lived through in the 1970s and 80s, when public bullying was the order of the day. I sincerely hope that this country will never go back to that order of things ever again, when miscarriage of justice was so ‘in-your-face’.

One thing that merits more attention is Joseph Muscat’s declaration that the army will be helping the police patrol ‘hotspots’. In democratic countries, the military is normally deployed when national security is at risk. If the Prime Minister does this, there are a whole series of speculations that follow, some justified, others less so perhaps. The immediate message he would send out is that the police are incapable of guaranteeing order and respect for the law. This would make some of us ask: why are they unable to guarantee law and order on their own? Is it because they do not have the right leadership? Is it because their numbers are insufficient? Is it because the police are not adequately trained? Is it because the Prime Minister does not trust them? If the latter were the case, why would he not trust them? Would that be for their inefficiency? Is he suspecting foul play?

Has criminality in Malta become so uncontrollable that the Prime Minister is obliged to wage a siege against it? If yes, why has he let the situation degenerate to this extent? If not, why bring in the army? If he deploys a corps that is not trained for policing, but for combat, to patrol ‘hotspots’, does this mean that he is going to give himself the right to deploy it in other circumstances? Which ones? Is he hoping the army will help to discover who is behind Daphne’s murder, and paid her murderers? Where will the boundaries between policing and attack be drawn and how? This measure can appear, at first glance, as an effective remedy; it may also be seen as a dangerous one. The police and the military are not one and the same thing and should not be deployed for the same reasons.

One heartening thing that has caught my attention (and admiration) is the opening of a beautiful, brand-new contemporary art gallery in Valletta. Contemporary art in this country is exhibited mainly thanks to private initiative, as we still await a contemporary art museum. A few well-run galleries have taken the risk of showing real professional artwork – as opposed to many exhibitions of amateur work – which cry out to be bought by private individuals and public entities. Some of our leading companieshave invested in beautiful art collections; investment is what encourages artists to push forward their art. And let us not forget, a country without the arts – both national and international - is like a tasteless coffee – there is no joy to it!