When America’s founding fathers sought to break from British rule, they instinctively felt that a new discourse, and in some cases a new language altogether, should be used  along with war and politics, to mark this seminal moment in their fledgling nation.

The third president, Thomas Jefferson, wrote to his good friend, the second president, John Adams, that they must develop distinctly American phrases.

The very phrase ‘Founding Fathers’ was invented by President Warren Harding in the 1920s. Hitherto, they were referred to as ‘The Finders’.

In his book Words from the White House, author Paul Dickson reflects that, most probably, they wanted to imbue their new mission for their country with a Biblical thrust and a collective presence.

Since I last wrote a column for this newspaper, our country has a new head of state. I was reminded of this book after reading reports of President Myriam Spiteri Debono’s inaugural speech. She injected a new phrase, “disease of greed”, into our national discourse to decry the rampant institutionalised corruption that is eating away at the fabric of our society.

The new president also warned that “the wounds around the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia are still open. We need to close this episode soon or else the fallout will persist.” And just like that, she has started shaping the country’s discourse.

Daphne herself taught us a new way of writing and speaking. We still speak of “crooks”, “cognitive dissonance”, “short and the curlies”, “majteżwell”, “the situation is desperate” – so ingrained is she in our collective psyche.

After she was assassinated, some of us realised that this was “our Sputnik moment”, a phrase coined by President Barack Obama.

In our new war on institutionalised corruption and dirty politics, Daphne’s assassination was and still is a call to examine our conscience and the way forward from this horrific assassination. So we started using phrases like “rule of law”, “good governance”, “justice for Daphne”.

Our detractors came up with their own choice of words like “erbat iqtates” – the very same people who dehumanised Daphne in life, and even in death, by calling her “witch”.

As an activist from the very beginning of this fight for truth and justice, the new president’s words give me solace. I will restrain my cynicism until it is called for. But I have a hunch that the new president is her own woman, something that is sorely lacking in public life.

Since Daphne’s assassination, we had two presidents who spectacularly fell short of their duties. Marie Louise Coleiro Preca infamously whined that Daphne’s assassination obscured the country’s economic results. Where do I even start with George Vella? He loved to preach about “national unity”, promoting our language, Maltese, as the basis for it.

Yes, certainly, part of our identity as a nation is derived from our language. Some, including him, flinch at colourful words that are used to describe the shocking decline of our country’s morals and ethical behaviour in public life.

Some of us were not silenced. We found our words. And that is our power- Alessandra Dee Crespo

Vella complained bitterly on the radio and in private when it was pointed out to him that he needed to distance himself convincingly from the “Castille Gang”, a phrase he himself used on December 13, 2019, at the height of our protests that ousted Joseph Muscat. But he never really did. Vella only sprang to life when construction was looming over his backyard.

How could Vella promote our language as the basis of “national unity” when we cannot even agree upon the right words to describe the deplorable state of our country, and some of us are punished for doing just that? How can we collectively use words that help us heal and move forward?

The new president is showing us the way. In another interview, Spiteri Debono said that “the best tribute that we can pay for Daphne’s life is to build the foundations so that whoever has the same profession she can feel protected by the democratic set-up of our country”.

She also demanded the implementation of the recommendations of the Daphne and the Jean Paul Sofia inquiries. How refreshing!

Daphne’s story is not in how she was killed but rather it is in how she lived, spoke and wrote. The words that she wrote still resonate in our public discourse.

The same words that have permitted Repubblika to obtain several public inquiries based on the investigative work she tirelessly worked on and was killed for. Her words are the basis for Repubblika’s successive victories in court in landmark judgements.

But we all must use our words in vigils, protests, on Facebook, with each other. Don’t let anyone discourage you that the mafia is too big, too infiltrated, too powerful. Power is not found in numbers, in brute force, in impunity.

The manner of Daphne’s killing was meant to shock and awe us into silence. But some of us were not silenced. We found our words. And that is our power.

It is in our determination not to give up fighting for this woman who used her words to make us see. Daphne’s story is not over. Reams of words are yet to be written about her lasting contribution to our country. We will help write them when we keep reminding everyone that she lives in her stories, in her words, in ours.

Paul Dickson wrote that even off-the-cuff statements by US presidents came to have a lasting influence on America. We await more from our new president.

This is the first time that the head of State’s words dovetail with what we have been saying for nearly seven years.

But as the saying goes, the proof of the pudding is in the eating – but the new president has worked us up an appetite.

Can we have some more? See you at the vigil tonight at 7pm at Great Siege Square.

Alessandra Dee Crespo is a Repubblika executive committee member.