It is said that Freedom Day, celebrated on Thursday, marks the day that Malta terminated its colonial connection and fully became the master of its own destiny.

However, this freedom has not been extended to its citizens whose successive governments have toyed with their personal freedoms as part of a systemic political game. Today, more than ever, I feel that our individual freedom is, in fact, very limited.

The election exercise that we have just come out of is a stark example of how this country has not moved much from that eventful day. Instead of being subservient to a foreign country, most of us today feel they cannot act freely due to the pressure exerted – directly or indirectly – by the political powers that be.

Likewise, in turn, even those politicians with a conscience from the main parties find themselves answerable to certain interests, who fund them and expect underhanded favours in return. Therefore, it is not truly the people in charge but the hidden lobbies, undermining our regulatory bodies.

If anybody complains, they risk losing their job, getting vindictively transferred, if they work for the government, or missing out on lucrative business opportunities. To be independent minded in Malta is to be targeted. That is the consequence of partisanship. Where is the freedom in that?

While the millions of euros spent on social media by the two big political mammoths in the last election are all accounted for, mainly thanks to EU regulations, who knows how much more is donated in cash, or in kind, which never sees the light of day? This is especially the case with a party financing regulation which is dormant, with the Electoral Commission unable to do its job. Is parliament the seat of democracy or is it an auction house?

What about the brainwashing that takes place in equal measure via the political party media? Competing with the independent media, yet subsidised by cronyism, and without even handing in its accounts, party media is a direct affront to the concept of the media as a pillar of democracy.

Party-owned media actually restricts the concept of a free vote because how can one make an honest assessment of the policies we are faced with if hordes of voters are tuned only to their respective political party’s media by design? How can we understand and respect one another if we are locked in echo chambers? What is democratic about a lack of discussion?

Moreover, the watchdogs in the country remain answerable to political power. There is a common perception that the Planning Authority takes politically minded decisions, favouring specific individuals, and with good reason. Similarly, the Electoral Commission, regardless of the fairness of its decisions, is not only disempowered by failed party financing rules but the fact it is appointed by the main parties means it is answerable to them.

This is even more so in the case of the Broadcasting Authority. According to its rulings, third party voices are heard as little as possible. We have traded a foreign ruler for local ones, who are not answerable to us.

It is only thanks to the independent media that free-thinking is allowed to endure in Malta. Being independent, however, is no guarantee of a media house escaping the wrath of politicians, who do not mind taking shots at journalists when they can get away with it. Has any lesson truly been learned by the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia? The words of trolls would have one think otherwise.

The freedom we obtained in 1979 needs to be safeguarded on a daily basis. The struggle for democracy and freedom is not a transitory phase. Each and every one of us owes it to future generations to protect free-thinking, independent thought and to guarantee that our vote translates into our will being enacted in parliament.

The historically low voter turnout this election shows that, in spite of appearances, people are not happy, especially in light of ongoing overdevelopment. We require accountability from our political class or Freedom Day will simply be another public holiday, without a relevant meaning in society today.