Civil society spaces were mostly hijacked by partisan tribes who constantly gaslighted any action by nonpartisan social and environmental groups – they labelled us as being mouthpieces for the “opposition”. This has happened to many activists, including myself, who have been labelled as opposition even though ironically we have been outspoken regardless of whether the Labour or the National party has been in power. The fact that the two major political parties have their own TV and radio stations has reinforced this problem and continues to undermine our democracy.
Daphne Caruana Galizia
All this came to a head when Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered in what is starting to look like a state-sponsored assassination. Caruana Galizia was a controversial journalist, and I have generally not agreed with her core agenda and idea of ‘normality’ – after all, she had strong links to the Nationalist party which has had its fair share of corruption and classism in government. Yet, her relentless reporting on government corruption and its links to the international financial and criminal worlds were the only voice that detailed the murky reality our country is currently in.
The recent assertions being made under oath in court by Yorgen Fenech paint a dark picture of a web between some of Malta’s richest business cartels and elected officials. Until recently Fenech was the CEO of Tumas Group – one of the largest construction companies on the island – until his dramatic failed escape from Malta and subsequent arrest for complicity in Daphne’s murder.