On October 16, Malta commemorated a date that represents the deepest level of shame that we have ever been through. Six years ago, a bright, loving mother and a brilliant journalist was brutally murdered.
Yes, we know who placed the bomb against payment; we might even be a bit more informed about who paid the hired killers to perform their dreadful execution in cold blood and on a sunny afternoon.
We also know – because this was revealed to us by the three judges in the public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s killing – that the State should shoulder responsibility for the murder because a culture of impunity was created from the highest echelons of power within Castille.
This impunity was visible in all areas of civil and criminal activity because the institutions like the attorney general, the police, the Planning Authority, the FIAU and others had been hijacked and manned by fellow travellers subservient to the governing Labour Party.
What happened six years ago threw our country, at least that part of our country that believes in the rule of law, the freedom of the press, the blindness of justice and the rules of good governance, into a state of alarm of fear and of despondence.
When anger and more discoveries of the robberies of national assets were made public by the successors of Daphne in the free press, the public arose and protested in the streets leading to the fall of Joseph Muscat.
But what came after him was someone who spoke only of continuity. And that is what we got. The same culture of impunity became much more widespread and, now, it appears that permits, social services, driving licences and health and safety on construction sites have been vitiated in favour of those willing to gain illegal benefits in exchange for votes for the Labour Party.
Are we ever to regain a state of affairs where every citizen will know that they will get what they are entitled to and that nobody gets what they are not entitled to? Will we get to a state where the national television and the Broadcasting Authority regains a semblance of impartiality and begins to publish the truth and only the truth?
What happened six years ago threw our country into a state of alarm of fear and of despondence- John Vassallo
Will we get to a state where our streetscapes and national open spaces are protected by the Planning Authority irrespective of who is seeking a permit?
And when will our huge debt, which is projected to hit the €10 billion mark by the end of 2023, begin to be reduced? This high debt has been reached even though we have received over €4 billion from the EU during the past 19 years.
A large part of the country’s debt has been used to pay party members extra incomes by placing them in positions of trust, in useless board positions where they do not belong or to splurge on parties and useless investments.
Coupled with all this, we have over 120,000 imported workers from within and outside the EU for the benefit of hotel owners, restaurateurs, building contractors, taxi services, rubbish collection, healthcare, home services for elderly, cleaners and watchmen, all paid at around or below the minimum wage.
Many of these people are exploited and live in unacceptable conditions.
No one controls or cares. We are living in a state of impunity.
When will all this end?
How many more years of impunity can we accept?
John Vassallo is a former ambassador to the EU.