Earlier this week, civil-society NGO Repubblika released their manifesto called Democratic Vision 2050: Truth, Memory and Freedom. The manifesto focuses on 14 main themes stretching from governance to human rights and include the crisis in rule-of-law and constitutional reform.
Among the proposals being made by Repubblika are proposals to strengthen Maltese press freedom and the press industry including a proposal to strengthen anti-SLAPP laws for locally instituted cases. The civil-society organisation argued that although the government is adopting the EU’s anti-SLAPP directive, which provides for anti-SLAPP provisions against foreign cases, no similar effort was made to address the situation with regard to cases that are instituted locally. The Nationalist Party recently proposed a law that introduces symmetrical justice in libel and defamation cases by awarding financial damages to the accused from the plaintiffs if they lose their case.
Repubblika’s vision aims to re-institute trust in authorities and institutions and fight the prevailing cynicism which has normalised corruption in Malta. The document warns on the increasing reach of executive power in many state institutions including the Police, Attorney-General’s Office and the Public Broadcaster. The manifesto also calls for the strengthening of local councils, the introduction of a new Bill of Rights and the enforcement of codes of conduct in politics and public life.
You can read the manifesto here.
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