This is the statement the women received by the prime minister today, told him in his office in Castille. A translation in English follows beneath.
Prim Ministru,
Ninsabu hawn għax il-qagħda f’pajjiżna hi ddisprata. Wieħed jista jipprova jqis l-assassinju ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia qisu kien omiċidju bħall-oħrajn, imma dan m’hux minnu.
Hu dmir l-Istat u l-awtoritajiet li joħolqu ambjent fejn il-ġurnalisti jaħdmu mingħajr periklu għalihom infushom. Meta jinqatel ġurnalist ikollna sinjal ċar u mingħajr ekwivoku li s-sistema falliet. Ma jgħinx min qiegħed jiċħad li l-pajjiż mifni b’problema serja. Ir-responsabbiltà trid tintrefa’ mill-għassiesa tal-Liġi u tal-Ordni f’pajjiżna.
Stennejna għal kemm-il darba li l-Avukat Ġenerali attwali u li Kummissarju tal-Pulizija wara l-ieħor jaġixxu, u minflok ma dehru mkien. L-aktar meta kellha tittieħed azzjoni kontra persuni qrib il-Gvern, inkluż persuni qrib tiegħek. Jekk l-Avukat Ġenerali u l-Kummissarju tal-Pulizija kellhom imqar ftit diċenza u rispett għall-uffiċji li jokkuppaw, kienu jirreżenjaw minn jeddhom. Minflok, ġimgħ’ilu rajna tferfix ta’ proċeduri kriminali li jkollna bil-fors ninterpretaw li kien attentat imqanżaħ biex il-poplu, u l-osservaturi internazzjonali, jingħataw l-impressjoni qarrieqa li kollox miexi kif suppost.
Prim Ministru, nippretendu li twettaq dmirek u timxi mal-ġurament li ħadt quddiemna lkoll u tassigura li l-Kostituzzjoni u d-drittijiet u l-prinċipji fiha jkunu rispettati fl-interess tal-poplu kollu.
Minflok, rajnik tuża l-pożizzjoni tiegħek biex taħtar ‘l min jissimpatizza miegħek fil-parti l-kbira tal-pożizzjonijiet fl-istituzzjonijiet; istituzzjonijiet li, suppost, jibbalanċjaw u jissorveljaw l-aġir tal-gvern biex taħdem sew id-demokrazija. Kuljum qed tuża l-pożizzjoni tiegħek biex, effettivament, tikkontrolla ‘l-istituzzjonijiet. Dan m’hux aġir demokratiku. Dan hu aġir awtokratiku. Dan hu li qed jiġri f’pajjiżi oħra bħall-Ungerija u t-Turkija.
Dan hu l-legat li se tħalli. Li tkun ħadt kontroll assolut mingħajr xejn x’jieqaf u x’jibbilanċja l-Gvern tiegħek. Li tkun għaddejt bħal gaffa fuq kull min ma jappoġġjax lill-partit tiegħek. Li niesek ippuntaw fil-mira tagħhom lil kull min azzarda jikkritika. Kif narawha aħna, dawwart il-qawwa kollha tal-magna tal-media li tikkontrolla – inkluż ix-xandir pubbliku – fuq kull min ma kienx jagħtik raġun jew li kien jazzarda jikkritikak.
L-attakki li aħna ta’ #occupyjustice ġarrabbna f’dawn l-aħħar ġimgħatejn minn nies qrib tiegħek, imħallsa mit-taxxi tagħna, kienu togħma żgħira ta’ dak li ġarrbet Daphne Caruana Galizia għal snin sħaħ.
Daphna Caruana Galizia weħidha kienet il-mira tal-istazzjon tal-partit tiegħek u ta’ simpatizzanti oħra għal għexieren ta’ snin. Dan aggrava meta dak li hu issa l-Kap tal-Oppożizzjoni rikeb l-istess karru. Daphne Caruana Galizia kienet demonizzata u de-umanizzata tant li xi nies iċċelebraw li ttajret f’biċċiet. Kull min idemonizzha għandu jdejh mċappsa b’demmha llum.
Taghna m’hux espressjoni ta’ xi twemmin politiku partiġġjan.
Kull persuna diċenti għandha titwaħħax b’li ġara.
M’hemmx “forsi” u “imma”: li wieħed jiġġustifika jew jiskuża dak li ġara jġib ruħu parti mill-problema. Daphne Caruana Galizia kienet tissimbolizza r-raba’ pilastru tad-demokrazija tagħna. Issa li ġiet eliminata, ir-raba’ pilastru ddgħajjef u l-pilastri l-oħra daqt se jiġġarrfu.
M’għadniex nistgħu niftaħru li Malta pajjiż bla periklu. Li Malta post tajjeb fejn trabbi ‘l uliedek.
Dan ġara kemm ilek hawn int. Prim Ministru, ultimament INT responsabbli.
Jekk irridu nemmnuk meta tgħid li trid issir taf x’ġara u li trid “għaqda” fil-pajjiż trid tieħu azzjoni vera u m’hux biss tlissen kliem sbieħ. Li tilqa’ t-talbiet tas-soċjetà ċivili huwa l-anqas mistenni minnek; l-anqas li tista’ tagħmel biex jerġa’ jibda jkollna l-fiduċja li ntilfet.
Il-Kostituzzjoni nkitbet minn nies ta’ rieda tajba li żbaljaw għax ħasbu li se jimplimentawha nies ta’ rieda tajba. Aħna nemmnu li jekk ma tindirizzax dak li qed iħassibna u tinjora dak li qed nesiġu, tibqa’ tissemma’ bħala l-Prim Ministru li ħa vantaġġ mill-pożizzjoni tiegħu għax kellu maġġoranza tant komda.
Pajjiżna mifrud.
Il-mibgħeda daħlet sew. Hi l-klassi politika li hi responsabbli li ffomentatha.
Dan irid jieqaf. M’hux biż-żejjed li jkollna l-flus fil-but. M’hix biż-żejjed li mmorru lura qisu qatt ma ġara xejn. Pajjiżna qed inixxi d-demm. Il-valuri tagħna nqerdu. Qed inrabbu ‘l-uliedna f’ambjent tossiku. Wasal iż-żmien li dan tirrikonoxxih int u l-klassi politika li tidher li ma tridx tifhem.
Irridu ngħixu f’soċjetà ħielsa: soċjetà ekwa li tirrispetta l-jeddijiet fundamentali li ommijietna u missirijietna ġġieldu għalihom.
Hu dmirna nitilqu minn fuq ix-xogħol u mir-responsabbiltajiet familjari tagħna, li ninterrompu l-ħajjiet privati tagħna biex bħala soċjetà ċivili niġġiedlu l-amoralizzazzjoni fil-ħajja tal-kommunità u n-nazzjon Malti.
Ħidmitna ma tieqafx hawn. Ser nibqgħu għassiesa tal-Gvern li int tmexxi. Se nibqgħu nistennewk tonora dmirek.
U se tibqa’ tisma’ mingħandna sakemm Malta li tant inħobbu terġa’ taqbad it-triq tas-sewwa.
#occupyjustice
Translation:
Prime Minister,
We are here because the situation in our country is desperate. You may try to treat the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia as just another murder, but it is not.
It is the responsibility of the State and the authorities to create an environment where journalists can work in safety. Therefore when a journalist is killed it is a clear and unequivocal sign that the system has failed miserably and it really is not helpful to deny that is the country is in in the throes of a serious problem. Responsibility for this must be borne, by those who are the guardians of Law and Order in our country.
Time and again we have waited for the current Attorney General and for one Police Commissioner after another to act but instead they are nowhere to be seen. Especially when it referred actions involving people close to the Government, yourself included. If the Attorney General and the Police Commissioner had an ounce of decency and respect for the roles they occupy, they would have resigned of their own accord. Instead, last week we saw a sudden spurt of action which can only be seen as a contrived attempt to mislead the public and international observers into believing that all is well.
Prime Minister, we expect you to do your duty and live by the oath you swore before us all to ensure that that our Constitution and the rights and principles it upholds are respected. Instead we have watched you exploit your position by appointing your sympathisers to most of the key positions within all the institutions that are meant to provide the checks and balances that are so fundamental to a democracy. On a daily basis, you are using your popularity to control all institutions. This is not democratic but autocratic. It is what is happening in countries such as Hungary and Turkey.
This is what your legacy will be. That you have exerted absolute control with no check nor balances on your Government. You have run roughshod over anyone who is not a direct supporter of your party and your people have targeted anyone who dared criticise. In fact you have turned on the full power of your media machine – which incidentally now also includes the Public Broadcasting Services – onto these people.
The attacks that we, as #occupyjustice, were subjected to over the past couple of weeks by people close to you, people paid from our taxes, was just a tiny taste of what Daphne Caruana Galizia was subjected to for years. Daphne Caruana Galizia was a lone target of your party’s political station and other sympathisers for decades. This was exacerbated when the Opposition Leader jumped into the fray too. Daphne Caruana Galizia was demonised, dehumanised to such an extent that there were people who rejoiced at her being blown to pieces. Everyone who demonised her has blood on their hands today.
This is not about political creed. Every decent human being should be horrified at what has happened. No “ifs” or “buts”. To justify it or provide excuses for it is to be part of the problem. Daphne Caruana Galizia symbolised the fourth pillar of our democracy. With her gone, that fourth pillar is weak and the rest will crumble.
We can no longer boast that Malta is a safe country. That Malta is a good place to bring up our children. And this has happened under your watch. Prime Minister, YOU are ultimately responsible.
If we are to believe you when you say you want to get to the bottom of things and that you want “unity” in our country, you need to take real action and not just say the right words. The demands being made by civil society are actually the minimum that is expected of you. Accepting these demands is the least you can do to restore some of the faith lost.
The Constitution was drafted by gentlemen and their one major failure was to assume that it would be gentlemen implementing it. If you do not address our concerns and run roughshod over these demands, you will go down in history as a Prime Minister who abused of his position because you enjoyed a safe majority.
Our country is a divided nation, the hatred is endemic, and the political class is responsible for spinning that. This has to stop. It is not about having money in our pockets. About getting back to business. Our country is bleeding. Our values destroyed. It has become a toxic place to raise children. It is about time you realise this.
We want to live in a free society. One which is equitable and which respects the fundamental freedoms that our parents before us fought for.
We feel that it is our duty to leave our jobs and our family responsibilities, to step out of our private lives to combat as civil society the amoralisation of the life of the Maltese Community and nation.
Our work doesn’t stop here. We will keep a close watch on the government you lead, waiting for you to honour your responsibilities. And you will keep hearing from us until such time we see the Malta we love so much back on the track of justice.
#occupyjustice
