"From this site we must foster a culture of legality, a culture in favour of what is good, in favour of what is right. We must foster a culture that sets aside what is wrong," Robert Aquilina, Honourary President of Repubblika and local representative of Fondazione Falcone said during the inauguration of the latter group's office in Malta.

His statement highlights the need for such a culture change in Malta, and such a change must come from the top.

If those in the country's top public posts - the Prime Minister, government ministers, are seen to be upholding what is just and right, then that sends a message to everyone else, that wrongdoing will be punished, that transparency, meritocracy and justice are the order of the day.

Had the country not had a culture of impunity, then Daphne Caruana Galizia would not have been brutally murdered all those year ago.

But we've witnessed one major scandal after another after another. The Panama Papers and the hospitals deal are just two in a long list of scandals that were investigated by journalists over the years. But what about today? The scandals continue - from driving licenses, to disability benefits, to identity documents, the list of issues grows.

There have been prosecutions in the hospitals deal case, yes, but let's not forget the Prime Minister's statements prior to the election, when he tried to shed doubt on the inquiry itself. That is not how a Prime Minister should act.

What kind of message does the blanket pardon offer in the disability benefits racket case send? The wrong one.

Now we are faced with yet another scandal, and the Prime Minister has already failed the test.

Ministers Clayton Bartolo and Clint Camilleri were found by the Standards Commissioner to have abused their power when Bartolo's then-girlfriend Amanda Muscat was given a job she had no qualifications for, and did not do. The tourism and Gozo ministers respectively were found to have failed to administer public funds diligently, Standards Commissioner Joseph Azzopardi said in a report which was published by the parliamentary ethics committee. Azzopardi found that Amanda Muscat, now Bartolo's wife, was first promoted from being Bartolo's personal assistance to his consultant with an increased salary of almost €62,000 and, later, this was upped to €68,000 when she moved to Camilleri's ministry in 2021. The 40-page report showed that Muscat did not have the necessary qualifications for the job and did not do consultancy work. By and large she continued to work as Bartolo's private secretary, with a consultant's salary, even when she was employed with Camilleri.

And to all this the Prime Minister said that an apology is enough. Prime Minister, its not enough. This type of reaction sends the wrong message to the people, and it is continuing to foster a sense of impunity.

A change in culture has to start at the top, but sadly this change seems a long way off.