Activists gathered in front of Castille in Valletta on Wednesday to protest against the government, using cut-outs of monkeys to lambast how the Cabinet of ministers has stayed silent in the face of abuses.
The protest, coinciding with the 35th month since Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed, saw protestors gather in a socially distanced protest outside the office of the Prime Minister in Castille Square.
Two years after the assassination of independent journalist Caruana Glaizia, a public inquiry was launched with a 9-month deadline, however this timeframe was cut short due to courts closing down when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Once these restrictions were lifted the inquiry resumed.
On 2 September, Prime Minister Robert Abela wrote to the state-appointed public inquiry board saying that he is granting a one-time deadline extension to 15 December 2020 for the public inquiry to come to a close.
During the protest, Repubblika’s Robert Aquilina said that it is unacceptable that Prime Minister Abela and his Cabinet continue to wash their hands of the collective responsibility they have after continuing to support the likes of Joseph Muscat, Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona.
“Without the support of Robert Abela and his ministers, the government would not have been bound to Electrogas; they would not have tied a whole country to a contract that we didn't need in the first place and which they are paying for through higher electricity bills,” Aquilina said.
Now, Robert Abela wants to stop the independent inquiry, which is revealing a lot from what his ministers kept hidden, he added, saying that Abela is leading a monkey government that shuts their mouths, eyes and ears so as not to see or hear anything, while seizing power.
Repubblika believes that Abela wants a whole country of monkeys who close their eyes, ears and mouths by silencing the public inquiry so that no one knows the truth; “because he knows that without truth we can never have justice. And without justice, he and his friends will not get blasted for looking the other way.”
“We will not turn our faces away,” Aqulina said, "for three years we have been taking to the streets and insisting on justice. We will not give up now just because Robert Abela is tired of listening to the atrocities the government has committed and he has been an accomplice to.”
Today marks 35 months since Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed, he noted, 35 months of campaigning to bring justice to her and her family – “we are still far from our goal.”
The Government wants justice to be done – Labour Party
In a statement, the Labour Party said the Government wants justice to be done in the case of the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, “despite the many divisive words that were used today during a protest in front of the Office of the Prime Minister, on the day when the President of the European Council Charles Michel is on a state visit in Malta.”
“Contrary to what is being said, the Government does not want to stop the inquiry but in fact would like the process to be concluded expeditiously and according to its terms of reference which were mutually agreed upon with the Caruana Galizia family. This is the first time that an inquiry of its kind is being held in front of 3 judges, whose names were also accepted by the Caruana Galizia family,” it said.
“During recent months, this Government has made several bold decisions notably the appointment of a new Commissioner of Police following a public call and the removal of a member from the Labour Parliamentary Group. Following the necessary legislative amendments, a series of reforms were implemented and also praised by the relevant institutions. Above all, it must be noted that there is an ongoing court case in which a number of people are charged with their alleged involvement in this crime. These developments took place in a very short period of time when compared to other cases.”
The PL said that, “instead of wasting time on politically motivated games which are only aimed at hindering the reforms and change this Government is bringing about, it would be better to let the process continue without any further interference so as to ensure that justice is ultimately done.”