I am struggling to understand why, over the years, successive Labour administrations have created crisis after crisis for Malta. In 1958, following an integration plan with Britain gone berserk, there were riots and street clashes against the British who were anxious to find a way to responsibly pass on power and end their 160-year rule of Malta.

In 1981, after messing about with electoral districts, a serious political crisis arose when Dom Mintoff ended up with less votes but more parliamentary seats than the Nationalist Party.

In 1987, we witnessed a messy and dramatic end to Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici’s short rule.

In 1996, a relatively serene and conciliatory Alfred Sant government dramatically ended on the rocks at the hands of a bitter Mintoff after barely two years of his residence in Castille.

Now, in 2019, in what is supposed to be the best of times, we have, under Joseph Muscat, witnessed a tragic institutional meltdown, a total negation of the basic concepts that define a democratic State.

Had I been commissioned to write a script on how to mess up a country, how to stress and alienate its citizens, how to achieve unprecedented levels of organised institutional corruption, I do not think that I would have managed to describe the present state of Malta under this Labour Prime Minister, who has led an administration tainted with a political assassination.

The collective leadership of the Labour Party has a lot to answer for. There are those who actively participated in the frenzy of pilferage, in the dishonest advantages dished out, in the scandalous rewards distributed.

May Labour supporters learn how to nurture leaders who do not repeatedly push Malta from one crisis to another

Then there are those who committed grave sins of omission and inaction. MPs deemed moderate, mature and decent who allowed the dishonest to thrive.

These people, perhaps feeling intimidated, must redeem themselves by standing up to be counted. They must lead back to sanity that decent part of the Labour Party.

Is there a silver lining in Malta’s predicament? Being an optimist, I would dare say, yes.

There is a strong urge to validate the great sacrifice of Malta’s heroic daughter, Daphne Caruana Galizia. A reaction to her assassination has seen the birth of unbelievably resilient and combative civil society movements.

The incredible women of Occupy Justice are an inspiration to all. They have religiously and courageously fought to maintain the memory of the slain journalist. They have relentlessly demanded justice from an indifferent and hostile government.

They have been insulted, bullied, threatened, yet they stood their ground. Who can forget those fearless vigils camped outside Castille? Unafraid, they faced the “adversary” across a table and listed their demands, their expectations.

After Occupy Justice, Repubblika was born – another combative NGO led so far by two exceptional women, Marion Pace Asciak and Vickie Anne Cremona.

Repubblika falls back on formidable legal expertise to challenge, in local and EU courts of law, the government’s abuse of power, proliferation of corruption and cultivation of impunity.

Manuel Delia’s blog Truth Be Told is proving to be a valid successor to Daphne’s Running Commentary. In so many protest meetings, Delia and other speakers have communicated a message of hope, of possible interventions by civil society to block and oppose errant politicians who serve their own and the party’s interests instead of those of citizens.

These hard times have also revealed an inspired independent media sector ready to defend Malta’s democratic and freedom ideals. The editorial boards, the journalists of The Times of Malta, The Independent, Shift News and others have served the country in its hour of need. Their vigilance might not have tempered the excesses of this scandalous administration but they have ensured that citizens remain aware of the threat to good governance and erosion of State institutions.

We are maturing. More people are appreciating that the total domination of political and public life by the Labour and Nationalist parties should and can be challenged.

The turmoil has also given scope to politicians like Simon Busuttil, Jason Azzopardi and Karol Aquilina to act autonomously to make up for the lethargic Opposition party’s reactions to blatant corruption and abuse.

So yes, this negative experience may end up maturing us, making us more conscious of the need to be vigilant. Perhaps we could learn to refuse offers of unfair and illegal advantage instead of what is legitimately due to us by right.

May Labour supporters learn how to nurture and elect leaders who do not repeatedly push Malta from one crisis to another. They need leaders who steer away from malodorous financing by filthy lobbies and so-called businessmen.

Leaders who do not corrupt them with illicit offers of toxic peanuts while they run away with the cake. Give us hope that you will spare us future crises.