Aristotle once said that “man is by nature a political animal”, but our current political situation is anything but natural.

Instead, we find ourselves in a reality intricately forged by Joseph Muscat and his gang – Keith Schembri, Konrad Mizzi and Chris Cardona.

They have, it appears, managed to rip off every man, woman and child in the country to make their pockets fuller and satisfy their lust for power.

In 2013, Malta voted in a new “movement” with the hope of a new day, away from the bureaucratic days of what was a very much stagnant Nationalist regime.

The party was surrounded by new voters and a young voter base that was willing to give this new Labour a chance – but things did not come as advertised.

Everything started off well, but here we are, in 2019, and Schembri has been released from custody despite the doctor’s admittance that he was aiding the former OPM chief of staff to cover his tracks.

Actually, his release signifies that as long as Muscat remains in power, this investigation will not be independent and, therefore, justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia, her family and the country will not be served.

How do people think that this turn of events is acceptable?

Many opposing statements were coming out of the Labour camp, particularly by Evarist Bartolo who stated that justice is key to regaining stability.

Others, including our prime minister himself, proudly said that our system is working.

It isn’t; the system is clearly failing.

How can anyone say it isn’t when the only evidence that is able to stop justice from being served is contingent upon a key player in the assassination on Caruana Galizia getting a full pardon? Where does such a crossroad leave our country? Why should a man who has allegedly committed the most unspeakable of crimes be even given the light of day by virtue of this outrageous request? How do people think that this turn of events is acceptable?

The answer is simple: the gang of crooks have managed to play their game once again, this time sacrificing one of their own – Yorgen Fenech – by feeding him to the wolves. It’s quite simple: no pardon, then no evidence; no evidence, then no jailtime possible for Muscat’s ex-right-hand man.

The only solution for the country is for the good men and women elected by their constituents to uphold the rule of law and govern with the interest of the country – and not themselves – at heart, to hold Muscat responsible for protecting alleged criminals and obstructing justice.

This should not be a partisan issue.

The Labour government should be allowed to continue the rest of its term without the filth of corruption and to unfortunately focus on cleaning the mess Joe and co left behind.

They have the mandate to govern and should be given the opportunity to do so, but with honest, clean politicians at the helm of the party, not with the crooks and reproachable figures who are parading themselves here now.

We must not, as citizens, take our freedoms for granted. We learned that the hard way in the 1980s, and now we face the same situation once again. Being an 18-year-old, I can only base my account on what happened around 34 years ago on the narration of older generations, but I am also able to apply the past to assess and try to fix the present.

That is why I encourage everyone to make their voices heard and to keep fighting for justice. One voice, even more potently after her vile and brutal slaughter, managed to bring an organised intra-governmental cartel into a state of panic; imagine what thousands of voices can do.

Matthias Bartolo is an 18-year-old student who has had a lifelong interest in politics.