Yesterday in Valletta, NGO Repubblika held its monthly vigil to commemorate slain journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. The vigil marked her murder after 8 years and six months with full justice for her murder still pending.
In her speech, Repubblika President Vicki Ann Cremona said that the government is intentionally refusing to consult with NGOs and civil society on ongoing controversies and issues such as the environment. The NGO President also said that they heeded the Labour Party’s call to participate in its Congress as part of its consultation campaign with NGOs. However, the NGO representative said that the Labour Party didn’t reply to Repubblika’s correspondence, seemingly interested in discussing only with NGOs and individuals who are friendly to it.
Vicki Ann Cremona also appealed to the government not to expel irregular immigrants who made Malta their home after finding jobs and contributing to the economy. She also called for the El Hiblu suspects to be released.
Louiselle Vassallo from Occupy Justice condemned the government for introducing money-laundering reforms that depenalised money laundering and tax evasion and allowed suspected individuals to get away with their crimes. She decried the government’s constant deluge of propaganda funded by public funds while journalists face challenges in obtaining information from the government. She also referred to the Vitals court case that took place this week and quoted Chris Fearne’s testimony, who said that he was sidelined by Konrad Mizzi over the Vitals deals, highlighting the shady nature of the deal. She closed by highlighting the inspirational victory of Peter Magyar in Hungary.
Jean Paul De Lucca also took the stand and said that democracy is an ongoing conversation that should be preserved. He quoted Jurgen Habermas about democracy being “a public space” and warned that this public space has to be preserved against manipulative-political and commercial interests. Public discourse is collapsing with polarising narratives of political propaganda filled with bile and hatred. He added that the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia was part of this process of stifling public discourse. The University of Malta lecturer warned that political forces are increasingly taking over our public space and this is threatening our democracy.
The video link to the vigil can be found here.
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