The last time I called out Tony Zarb the Prime Minister condemned me. So I suppose I have a guess what I’m going in for.
Tony Zarb posted on Facebook the following over the last few hours:
The first one translates “The Dark Forces: The first buzz word was ‘political killing’. Now the new buzz word is ‘who contracted them?'”. The second post says “Now they invented the idea that the murder case should be investigated independently. What does this mean? Is this rule of law?”. The posts are replete with spelling mistakes that are presumed intentional to make the writing more macho and approachable.
Now. Starting with Tony Zarb’s first post. There is no transition in thinking between describing the assassination of a journalist as a political killing and wanting to know who commissioned it. There has been no time when anyone demanding justice in this case was not interested in knowing more than who pushed the button. Matthew Caruana Galizia articulated that within hours of his mother’s death when the rest of us were still blabbering inanities when we were in shell-shock.
These are not buzz-words. These are rightful claims for justice. Does Tony Zarb seriously think il-Koħħu, il-Fulu and iċ-Ċiniż saw any benefit for themselves in the killing of Daphne Caruana Galizia, unless that benefit was being paid to do it? Why is Tony Zarb so keen on NOT finding out who paid them? And please be reminded that Tony Zarb is the guy the government gets to articulate the unsayable on their behalf.
Tony Zarb is not some renegade loon. He is a paid personal consultant to Konrad Mizzi, the Panama Minister: one of the most obvious beneficiaries from Daphne’s silence.
On to the second comment.
Asking for an independent inquiry is well within the rule of law. It happens on far more mundane things. It is provided for at law. It IS the rule of law. No one doubts the integrity of the prosecuting police inspectors who are starting presenting evidence on Monday. But everyone doubts their political masters. We know for a fact now Ministers do not hesitate to interfere in police work. We know for a fact the Commissioner of Police is a bumbling idiot. We know for a fact the head of the criminal investigation department is personally invested in the political viability of the government his own wife belongs to.
Outside Tony Zarb’s iron curtain notions of popular justice, justice must be seen to be done. Finding the executors of the crime was crucially important. The officers who got this far must be congratulated and supported in their effort to prove their accusations and secure convictions.
But even if Tony Zarb would have it so, this cannot stop here. Rather BECAUSE Tony Zarb, and those on behalf of whom he speaks, would have it so, investigations must continue.
The International Federation of Journalists is absolutely correct to demand an independent investigation. Any normal democracy would be having one. The rule of law demands it, Mr Zarb.
Read here last night’s post by Matthew Caruana Galizia.
Allow me to join in his appeal. Where institutions fail it is for journalists to investigate and reveal the truth. And there’s no truth that is more important for the survival of our democracy right now than knowing just what the government does not want us to know.
Who did this to Daphne? Who did this to us?