Unfinished business - Daphne Caruana Galizia
Some would have us stop speaking about Daphne Caruana Galizia. Stop fighting for justice for Daphne Caruana Galizia. Stop clamouring for justice for her stories. But there's unfinished business to be seen to, and we won't stop till we've seen it through.
By "we", I mean all those to whom truth and justice are important values.
“It has been six years since the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Although there was a public inquiry, the killers are behind bars and several reforms have been introduced, the mastermind has yet to be tried and the reform process is slowing down, indeed new corruption scandals have emerged. Daphne’s mother has recently passed away, she did not live to see full justice being served.
Sophie in 't Veld (Netherlands), Renew Europe's negotiator on the resolution on the rule of law in Malta
Daphne's assassination changed the physiognomy of Maltese civil society. Her son Andrew Caruana Galizia in a speech in Brussels (2nd May 2018) said that she died not knowing what a positive example she had become. She died not knowing how many people have been inspired by her courage. And she died before we could repay the debt that so many of us owe her.
Her death would be meaningless if her assassins - masterminds, enablers - anyone connected in any way or form - are not jailed for their crimes.
Her death would be meaningless if those she exposed through her investigative journalism are not prosecuted, bought to justice.
Her death would be meaningless if WE don't change, and become more like her - vociferous against corruption, crime and injustice of any sort of form.
Daphne died alone. Many of us - myself included - watched from afar while she fought on single-handedly the criminal organisation running the government. True, as the public inquiry states, the state was responsible for the impunity and environment that enabled her death, but frankly, I feel that I bear a part of that responsibility too. I should have been there, shoulder to shoulder with Daphne, backing her up in whatever way I could. I think that applies to many of us.
Let's not make the same mistake twice. The root causes of Daphne's assassination were corruption and impunity. They're still around, on steroids, and rooted deeply. We need to make sure that the impunity ends and the criminals jailed. The battle is long and hard. Too many people stand to benefit from this state of affairs, which has become normalised. But we can never give up, we can never stop, we can never lose momentum. It's a war of attrition, and we cannot give in.
All of us should look to my mother’s example and say that a life lived for others is worth a thousand selfish lives; a life lived with purpose is worth a thousand lived in indifference; and a life sacrificed in the search for truth is the greatest gift any of us can give back to the world.
Let's repay her with justice.