To fight or not to fight
I am often asked whether I get tired of protesting and fighting against a corrupt government which has hijacked virtually all the institutions, making the path to justice so long and arduous.
Sitting on the fence is never an option for me. I value democracy. I value rule of law. I value justice. I value human rights. I value freedom of expression. And I will settle for nothing less than a country where that which I value is upheld.
We’re living in a country where parliament has been taken over by an autocratic, corrupt government, the Labour government. It is the rubber stamp for impunity. Malta is in fact rated as a flawed democracy and Malta ranks at the bottom of the pile when it comes to rule of law.
The judiciary looks like a Labour party club. It includes a former Deputy Leader of the Labour party, the daughter of a former Deputy Leader of the Labour party (now the Speaker of the House), a former president of the Labour party, and a host of other magistrates and judges that were high-profile activists in the Labour party fold. Between 2013 and 2020, almost all new members of the judiciary appointed hailed from the Labour camp.
The Attorney General’s office is an obstacle to justice rather than an instrument of justice. From colluding with the police on how to spare alleged criminals from prosecution, to blundered charges, the Attorney General is a notorious hindrance to justice.
The Police Commissioner is drowning in evidence of wrong-doing by former and present high-profile figures such as disgraced former Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, but stubbornly refuses to act, a puppet on a string manipulated by his masters in Castille.
One has only to read the news on a daily basis to see the extent of blatant corruption and impunity in this country. Corruption and wrong-doing have become normalised.
This is not the country that I want to live in.
And that’s exactly why I will fight on, despite the fact that the path back to democracy, rule of law, justice, human rights and freedom of expression is long and arduous.
Civil society and the independent media are now the last standing bastions of democracy. There have been wins. We’ve booted out a Prime Minister (Joseph Muscat), a Chief of Staff (Keith Schembri), a super-Minister (Konrad Mizzi), a minister (Chris Cardona) amongst others. Even a handful of dissenting voices can present a serious threat to a corrupt government.
People tend to forget that it’s far easier to install an autocratic, corrupt government than to remove it, but now the deed is done, and remove it we must. And remove it we will. There’s no other option.
We’re not done yet, but we’re getting there.
No matter how powerful the forces against them, when people are prepared to stand up for what they believe, they succeed. Vladimir Kara-Murza (jailed Russian opposition politician and liberal dissident)
Bình luận