It is not easy to mark an anniversary of the murder of a journalist without resorting to tributes or platitudes. In reality, no words can ever describe the darkest chapter of our generation when a car bomb killed Daphne Caruana Galizia on that sunny October afternoon.
But we all need to take an introspective look and understand whether, as a country, we have learnt anything after a writer was assassinated for doing her job.
The deadly blast should have led to a good examination of conscience to understand why the seeds of violence were planted in the first place.
In the last five years we have seen new legislation drafted, incessant international and local reports and debates and even a public inquiry which led to a draft press law. On paper, a lot has been done. Some (big) heads have even rolled.
But the polarisation remains entrenched, with rarely a conciliatory tone heard to steer away from populist sentiments which continue to drown out any semblance of reason. Despite its rhetoric, we still have a government which tolerates the media as an inconvenient truth. Information which is in the public interest is curtailed, ministers and their spokespersons continue vilifying the press, buoyed by the fact that the Labour Party won the last three general elections by landslides.
Meanwhile, extremists persist with callous remarks that Daphne got what she deserved because she was “asking” for it. Five years on, online trolls have multiplied, trying to justify the unjustifiable.
Mistrust reigns on all fronts, and almost three years since his appointment, Prime Minister Robert Abela, like his predecessor refuses to sit down for an interview with the independent media.
Like many Labour supporters, Abela probably resented Caruana Galizia for what she wrote. But that is, quite frankly, irrelevant. This is bigger than any personality clash.
There is something disconcerting about the prime minister having never paid his respects at the murder site or makeshift shrine in Valletta, but instead planning a partisan meeting in Żebbuġ on the day of the murder anniversary.
Leaders are expected to lead, and if there is to be any genuine reconciliation, it will only begin once those in power move beyond private words of sympathy to public gestures of healing.
Only then can we hope to see respect permeate through Abela’s broader flock and Labour’s grassroots.
Changes have taken place in the police force and attorney general’s office, and new entities were created, but doubts remain whether changes were carried out of conviction or whether they were simply motions to try to restore Malta’s damaged international reputation. Nothing appears to have changed where it comes to corrupt practices, meritocracy and nepotism.
Nothing appears to have changed where it comes to corrupt practices, meritocracy and nepotism
On the other side, those calling for justice in the case should understand that they must become a broader church if their voice is ever to be properly heard. Not everyone who shares their desire to see justice done will agree with all their positions lock, stock and barrel. That does not make them the enemy.
Daphne had a superb pen, but also a hurtful one, and reconciliation can only happen once we peel away the layers to understand each other’s hurts. The abhorrent murder did deliver some positive changes: we have witnessed more investigative journalism, while activism is reaping results.
Swathes of society remain conspicuous by their absence; they complain about the country’s state in their small circles or their Facebook bubbles but daren’t do so publicly, fearing recriminations
But swathes of society remain conspicuous by their absence; they complain about the country’s state in their small circles or their Facebook bubbles but daren’t do so publicly, fearing recriminations. Some of these fears are nothing more than self-imposed censorship – activism has shown there is strength in numbers.
Consequently, the situation remains desperate because we persist with our tribal, bi-partisan approach to everything and our resistance to critical thinking. The situation remains desperate because many of us have taken the cue from the crooks and made money our god, and in the process forgotten about the horror of a mother, a journalist, being burned to death in front of her son.
The conviction of two hitmen last Friday is welcome news, albeit years late. Before all those responsible for this crime are brought to justice and unless all of us stop this entrenchment, this country can never heal.