On the sixth anniversary of the gruesome murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, we now are now seeing how what she discovered would be the beginning of a seemingly endless series of scandals.  From her murder until today, impunity has reared its ugly head more and more, while institutionalized clientelism and nepotism has become the way of government.  Almost every week we hear of cases of people, who without any shame at all, get which they don't deserve. Merit seems to have become just a pipe dream for most.

ADPD-The Green Party speakers addressed these issues when they addressed a news conference near the Great Siege monument in Valletta, which is also serving as a memorial for Daphne Caruana Galizia.

ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Secretary General, Mario Mallia, said that serious accusations about people who took social assistance for disability without deserving it, shows how even the pain of being sick or disabled, has become an instrument of power and nepotism. We saw the small fry being taken to court and being asked to return what they stole. This is a step in the right direction but the state has to show its mettle with the big fish too. There is also a need for political responsibility to be shouldered, resignations are in order.

Mallia also said the Prime Minister's statements after the driving license scandal was made public by The Times of Malta, are of great concern to honest citizens who wish to see good governance and fairness.  It is shameful that the Prime Minister dismisses such a scandal, passing it off as ‘customer care’.

 "We are citizens in a country where everyone is supposed to be the same before the law and everyone should be given the same opportunities.  But Abela institutionalized and gave his blessing to a culture of friends of friends, making it an essential part of his leadership.  He never showed any contrition or ever offered the nation an apology. On the contrary, he kept coming to the defence and apologizing for those who have been pigging out with his blessing.

His position is very much out of synch with the statement he made last Sunday at the General Conference of the Labour Party, that what he does is motivated by socialist principles.  What kind of socialism is this that promotes a system that serves the insider rather than serving citizens with a sense of justice?  The Prime Minister seems to have not yet understood that his duty as Prime Minister is towards everyone and not just towards party hacks. Instead of going on the defensive and considering criticism as an ‘attack’, his job is to fix the flaws of an outdated, dishonest and unfair system.  This would be the smartest way to honour Daphne's memory".

ADPD-The Green Party’s Chairperson Sandra Gauci in her intervention argued that what Daphne Caruana Galizia revealed seems to have been a Pandora's box from which a chain of scandals continue to emerge at a rapid rate, further eroding trust in the institutions.  This regularity seems to be  making people indifferent and give up on politicians and those who represent them in parliament.

 "We ended up in a country with first class and second class citizens where money is the measure between the two.  Meritocracy is dead, buried and forgotten and people have lost faith that one day we will see a spark of justice where everyone is considered the same and given the same opportunities," she said.

 "People of goodwill need to roll up their sleeves and unite to take back their country and get it back on its feet by restoring dignity to the Police force with a leadership that speaks truth to power and truly believes in fairness with everyone.

There is a critical need to put capable people, rather than friends of friends in key positions.  Mediocre leadership is leading to chaos with citizens being robbed twice over with their taxes being used either for the wrong purposes or to fund appointments granted on anything but merit.

 Let's not allow Daphne's death to be in vain," concluded Gauci.