Legal values are ineffective unless they are backed by the society which they are meant to regulate, President of Malta Myriam Spiteri Debono has said.

The Maltese President said this while welcoming the inauguration of the Malta Office of Fondazione Falcone last night - its first foreign office.

During her speech, President Spiteri Debono spoke of Falcone's belief that the only way to overcome the dark forces of organised crime is to raise society's youth in a culture of legality.

She highlighted the inauguration as "a landmark in the development of a new level of co-operation between the two neighbouring peoples of Malta and Sicily." While drawing similarities between the people of the two neighbouring island regions, she described that the two peoples share "a streak of meekness of character which keeps them subject to dominating influences impinging on their exercise of free will, at times impeding them from standing up to be counted."

"This is the reason why our societies need a concerted effort from the bottom up to change attitudes," the President said, "to consciously create future generations which are fierce for the dominance of basic human rights, the upholding of correct standards of behaviour and interaction."

The President then told those present that even though "indifference born of tiredness and exhaustion is the order of the day" at times, it is vital that people rise above these attitudes, for societies all across the world have witnessed and gone through too much at the hands of "the depravity of human nature."

"Legal values are ineffective unless they are backed by the society which they are meant to regulate," she said.

She elaborated that politics and the corridors of power must be clean of all traces of exercise of power that are lacking in inherent principles of common good and responsibility. Additionally, she noted that if structures to safeguard this are lacking, then legislators "are duty bound" to step in and implement such regulations to safeguard standards of governance.

"Redemption can only come about, if in future, generations are exposed to a culture of legality and goodwill towards others as the one and only standard," the President.

Spiteri Debono spoke positively of Fondazione Falcone and its work.

"Free speech and expression is the concretisation of humankind's free will," she said.

The President of Malta commended Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino, and Daphne Caruana Galizia for dedicating themselves to "bringing about a new societal order where evil and the depravity of human nature do not have the upper hand."

Following the mention of these three assassinated fighters against organised crime and corruption, she mentioned others that have paid "the ultimate price" across Europe, such as Ján Kuciak in Slovakia, 2018, Giorgos Karaivaz in Greece, 2021, Ivo Pukanic in Croatia, 2008, Peter R. De Vries in the Netherlands, 2021, Veronica Guerin in Ireland, 1996, Lyra McKee in the United Kingdom in 2019, amongst several others.

"No country, not even Western democracies, not even the European Union member states seem to be free of this plague, and organised crime emerges as another issue which gives rise to gagging of those who seek to expose it," President Spiteri Debono exclaimed.

Concluding her speech, the Maltese Head of State said that political structures all across Europe must heed the wishes and aspirations of the people they want to govern, and therefore, "our democracies must be made aware of the importance of acknowledging the status of journalists and affording protection to the journalistic profession in its duties" since "wise and mature choices depend on the dissemination of information."

The President remarked that through the inauguration of the office of Fondazione Falcone in Malta, she hopes for an impetus to be embedded into locals that nurtures tomorrow's citizens in favour of a culture of legality and built upon the right to a just society.

"There is no short cut to this, the road is arduous, never ending with no final destination. This is a constant struggle, requiring maintenance at every juncture," she said.

"Giovanni Falcone, Paolo Borsellino, Daphne Caruana Galizia, and all victims of organised crime deserve our commitment to keep their memory vibrant by working towards the enhancement of just principles for all - this is a more fitting commemoration of their ideals than any monument in bronze or stone," the Maltese Head of State finished.