The last few years have been among the most turbulent in our history. Major scandals went almost un-recognised in the shadow of even bigger ones. Before anyone could digest what was happening, Malta experienced a takeover by an organised criminal network. It masqueraded as mainstream politics through a heavily-financed, well-connected machine, sparing no expense in burying one skeleton after another.
These huge efforts made it difficult to effectively communicate the extent of institutional capture to the Maltese public, not to mention the inherent complexity of the crimes and the tangled networks of corruption. Our natural instinct is to be sceptical about facts that disrupt our peace of mind. Even I regarded certain revelations with a degree of incredulity.
Emerging stories beggared belief.
Based on what we know now, not only was the Nationalist Party’s battle cry in the last election justified – reality is far worse than we had ever imagined.
The Panama Papers exposed corruption and money laundering at the highest levels of the Maltese government. Abroad, this brought down governments. Here, it was only the very tip of the iceberg. Even today, with scandals still coming to light, there is a great deal that remains obscured from view.
What is becoming clear is that allowing corruption to carry on with impunity was an imperative for Muscat’s government, so much so that it constituted motive for murder. Today, we know that the murderous mess we’re in was made possible by a web of criminality. But now we need to know just how far and deep this web really goes.
We must know the whole truth. We have no alternative but to continue working until justice prevails.
Simon Busuttil walked the talk in 2017 when he assumed responsibility for the electoral result. Despite everything, he continued fighting corruption through every legal means at his disposal – nothing short of pure selfless patriotism.
Our nation is bigger than the criminals that have commandeered it
Following the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia, Simon’s work intensified further. He stood for what was right, paying a hefty price each time. He did so despite the countless threats and personal attacks, not least being the primary target of Labour’s hate machine. He persevered even when doing so proved massively unpopular. He made huge personal and political sacrifices to do what was best for Malta.
Make no mistake: the criminal gang that hijacked this government has caused unquantifiable reputational damage in so many spheres, economic, social and political.
The road to recovery will be long and difficult. But today, we are closer to the start of this strenuous process as the whole, ugly truth starts to emerge. This is thanks only to the journalists, activists and the politicians who have not yet given up their interminable fight for justice.
And it would not have been possible without Simon. Over the past few weeks, he has been vindicated many times over.
He has shown that while justice will always prevail, it almost never comes easy. It requires Herculean effort, selfless dedication and unaskable personal sacrifice.
There is no doubt that Simon’s departure will leave a significant vacuum in local politics. But his contributions have been invaluable. In no small part, thanks to him, we are getting closer to comprehending the full extent of criminal activity being perpetrated by the Office of the Prime Minister. Likewise, we are on the way to finding out the whole truth about the assassination of Daphne and the intrinsically linked cover-up.
Simon will now take on his new duties at the helm of the most powerful political group in the European Parliament.
His achievement is a matter of national pride. His appointment to this role is testament to the immense respect he commands in Brussels, especially today.
As EPP Group secretary general, Simon will be one of the most powerful and influential persons in European politics. With him in this role, we can rest easy in the knowledge that our country will be represented on the European stage by a person of unimpeachable integrity.
The choice of a Maltese national for this role demonstrates that our nation is bigger than the criminals that have commandeered it. It shows that our collective reputation is not beyond redemption.
Simon’s new position comes at a time when Joseph Muscat has finally resigned and Robert Abela has been elected to take his place. Some missteps have already raised red flags about the intentions of this ‘continuity candidate’.
In these important first days, the Maltese people will be anxiously waiting to see whether the new Prime Minister will take the difficult and long overdue decisions that are so crucial to give us the peace of mind he has promised.
David Casa is a Nationalist Party Member of the European Parliament.