So much has been said and written since, a week ago today, the report on the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry was published.

There have been a few resignations of people in top positions, but not of those who are politically responsible for them.

Pledges have been made by the government to look into the matter and find ways how to regulate the construction industry better, while at the same time ensuring more safety and security both for the workers involved and for third parties who are affected by development taking place next to their property.

The country continues to debate the issue as we all collectively hope that what happened to Jean Paul Sofia will not be repeated.

We had hoped that Miriam Pace’s death four years ago this week – the woman had died when her residence collapsed as excavation work was taking place adjacent to it – would have led to changes that would have served to bring about more safety. We were wrong, because others continue to die on construction sites. Jean Paul Sofia was one of them, the 20-year-old lad ending up underneath piles of bricks which collapsed on a construction site in Kordin in December 2022.

Now, after the publication of the Jean Paul Sofia public inquiry report, we are hoping again. But our hope will only last until we hear about the next accident.

In all this, we must give credit where this credit is due. We must all admit that, were it not for the resilience of Sofia’s mother Isabel Bonnici, supported by her close family and friends, we would not be where we are today. She never gave up, in spite of the resistance she found. The government, with Prime Minister Robert Abela leading the way, pushed against her with all its might. We remember her standing out of Parliament trying to persuade government members to see the light and seek the truth. The image of her embracing her son’s photo is one that will remain in our collective memory. She knew that she would never get her son back, and many in her place would have just given up.

But she kept on trying. Even when the Labour government voted, in parliament, against a motion to have a public inquiry set up to look into her son’s death and how others could be avoided. Again, we all remember her outburst in the House of Representatives where, with the support of her closest family members, she protested at the way Labour MPs had discarded her plea and did not even have the courage to look at her.

For many, that vote seemed to be the end of the road, but Isabelle Bonnici did not throw in the towel, and instead sought public support – and the public responded – in a protest that ultimately pushed the Prime Minister to change his mind. Four days after that infamous vote, as thousands were gathering in Valletta to shame the Prime Minister, Abela finally relented and ordered a public inquiry.

Now we are here debating it.

As we do so, we should think of the woman who made it all happen, and the man who fought against her until he had to give in.