“The body will be left out to rot and nobody will be allowed to bury or grieve over the traitor. Anybody defying the decree will be stoned to death.”

In Sophocles’s Antigone, considered the greatest of all Greek tragedies, King Creon issued this decree to demonstrate his power. His own nephew, Polynieces, was killed in battle. Creon labelled Polynieces a traitor and condemned him to the most humiliating of sentences - he should be denied burial and, instead, be left to rot, picked at by vultures.

Creon wanted to make an example of Polynieces that those who oppose him and ‘his’ state will be meted out the worst punishment. And anybody defying his edict would face death.

Antigone, Creon’s own niece and Polynieces’ sister, bravely condemned Creon’s edict as unjust. For her, it goes against decency and against the gods whose law determines that everybody should receive a decent burial. Antigone welcomed death in order to honour her brother by burying him.

When Creon found out, he condemned Antigone to a slow death of thirst and hunger by burial in a cave. Creon showed no mercy although Antigone was his own niece and engaged to his son Haeman. Haeman pleaded with his own father to pardon Antigone. He told his father that the majority of the population was appalled by his decision not to allow Polynieces a decent burial and, even worse, to condemn Antigone to death. For the citizens, Antigone’s decision to bury her brother was noble.

Creon was enraged by his own son. He called him a fool for defending another “traitor”. Teiresias, the blind prophet, tried to reason with Creon. He insisted that Creon was making a huge mistake which would only bring catastrophe to his state. When even the state elders agreed with Teiresias, Creon finally relented and ordered Antigone to be freed.

But it was too late. Antigone hanged herself. Overcome with grief, Creon’s son, Haeman, fell on his sword. Queen Eurydice, Creon’s wife and Haeman’s mother, cursed Creon for taking away her only son because of his obstinacy and pride and committed suicide too.

Creon finally came to his senses. He recognised the unspeakable tragedy he had caused. He still had power but lost everything else – his wife, his son, his niece and the respect of his people. He was cursed and detested by all. It was only a matter of time before what was left of his power would be taken away from him. The gods exacted justice.

Like Creon, Robert Abela obstinately refuses Daphne Caruana Galizia a decent burial. He refuses to do the right thing and listen to the elders. They’ve tried to open his eyes. They’ve told him what he needs to do. It’s all there in the recommendations of the Caruana Galizia inquiry. They’ve warned him of the tragedies that will befall his country if he refuses to listen.

Abela knows that he must act now to save his country, and himself- Kevin Cassar

It is now five years since the brutal assassination of Caruana Galizia. It is over 15 months since that inquiry report was published. Yet, Abela refuses to implement any of the long list of recommendations in that report. He leaves Caruana Galizia’s body to rot, picked on by the vultures within his party who still insult her memory with offensive insults. Even party moderates like Desmond Zammit Marmara are “disgusted” with Caruana Galizia’s niece who, like Antigone, defends her aunt’s memory.

Abela is determined that nothing good will come out of her murder. For his party, she remains a traitor against ‘his’ state. He rewarded the speaker, Anġlu Farrugia, with another term for refusing to name a hall in parliament in her memory. Abela’s own MPs still insult her family and accuse her son of complicity in her murder. Abela himself callously attacked her own children, accusing them of not wanting to know who killed their mother.

Like Creon, Abela rages at those who dare give her a decent burial. Owen Bonnici repeatedly ordered the clearing of her memorial and harassed those intent on giving her a decent burial. Jason Micallef mocked her last words. Joseph Muscat’s close friend, Johann Buttigieg ordered the removal of banners demanding justice for Caruana Galizia. Michelle Muscat heartlessly claimed that she was more sorry about her assassination than her family as she would have to live with Daphne’s lies.

Like Creon did to Antigone, Abela attempted to bury Repubblika and other organisations that strive to keep Caruana Galizia’s memory alive. TVM fails to report Repubblika’s protests. They are made targets of Labour’s venomous abuse. They are labelled traitors and enemies of the state as they demand their right to give Caruana Galizia her decent burial.

Like Creon, Abela’s time is running out. He remains deaf to the pleas of Teiresias and the elders. As more of his former allies are felled by the restless ghost of Caruana Galizia – Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri, Adrian Hillman, Brian Tonna, Karl Cini, Chris Cardona, Frederick Azzopardi, Ali Sadr Hasheminejad, Ram Tumuluri, Joseph Cuschieri, Lawrence Cutajar, Silvio Valletta, Ian Abdilla, Yorgen Fenech, John Dalli, Joseph Muscat – Abela should think again.

Do the right thing and bury Caruana Galizia with full honours, before it is too late, before you suffer Creon’s fate.

Abela knows that he must act now to save his country, and himself. He knows he must step back and let justice take its course. He must relent and accept the truth in Daphne’s work.

Abela must realise that  Caruana Galizia was no traitor. Neither are those who keep her memory alive, who demand justice and who yearn to finally lay her to rest. The true traitor is the one who refuses to heed the warnings of the elders, who refuses to implement the recommendations of the Caruana Galizia inquiry, who truculently refuses to pay his respects and to acknowledge that Daphne was right.

As Sophocles eloquently pointed out, only tragedy awaits the stubborn and the proud.