Here is the introductory section of the manifesto adopted yesterday:
A New Malta, A New Republic
During the last few months and weeks we have undergone an experience that is unique in the history of our country.
We saw the upsurge of a national movement that was not led by a political party.
We saw a protest that was not due to anything that had affected our pockets.
We saw that Malta was much bigger than the criminals who abuse of power.
We saw clearly that the cynical consideration that the Maltese are only concerned about the money in their pockets does not quite reflect the truth.
The filth we rose against in the last months is both a symptom and a consequence of much deeper structural problems. Daphne Caruana Galizia was assassinated on 16 October 2017; her death, however, tells a much bigger story.
Although we are pleased to see that there is greater awareness of these problems, we believe that they cannot be solved on their own.
If nothing is done, these problems will not go away, they can only become more serious.
We believe that civil society does not only have the role to protest against what it disagrees with, but also that of promoting values and developing a vision for the common good. The hope for a better future is not the monopoly of political parties. Neither is the work that must be accomplished to promote an agenda for change and reform in the country’s social, economic, environmental and institutional sectors. Working to achieve this does not mean becoming a political party, but it certainly makes clear what it is we want our political parties to do.
We, members of Repubblika, have come together with the aim to “promote civil rights, democratic life, the rule of law, free speech, personal freedoms, social inclusion, environmental conservation, economic sustainability and equality of access, by means of active participation in the national discourse and related educational, social and charitable initiatives” (Repubblika Statute 8 (1)).
We, members of Repubblika, acknowledge that we do not hold any monopoly over public action; consequently we welcome other movements and associations that strive to push forward what we believe in and what we strive to achieve.
Repubblika held an Extraordinary General Meeting on 11 January 2020 and approved this manifesto which we consider as:
- a declaration of our identity
- a summary of our fundamental goals
- the foundations on which we build our initiatives and collaboration with others for a New Malta, a New Republic.