Illum iċ-Chairperson ta’ ADPD-The Green Party Sandra Gauci, flimkien mas-Segretarju Ġenerali Ralph Cassar u l-PRO Brian Decelis poġġew il-fjuri fuq il-mafkar ta’ Daphne Caruana Galizia mal-monument tal-Assedju l-Kbir quddiem il-Qrati l-Belt Valletta.
Sandra Gauci qalet:”Għaddew tmien snin mill-assassinju makabru tal-ġurnalista Daphne Caruana Galizia, u s-sitwazzjoni fil-pajjiż mhux talli ma tjibitx, iżda qed tmur għall-agħar. Biżżejjed inħarsu lejn x’qed jipprova jagħmel il-Gvern bil-proposti ta’ liġi dwar ir-riforma fil-qasam tal-bini. Minflok ma jsaħħaħ iċ-checks and balances u l-kontabbiltà tal-awtoritajiet, il-Gvern qed jipprova jnaqqas kull tip ta’ xkiel li żviluppatur jista’ jkollu.
Dawn il-proposti ta’ liġi huma theddida għall-istat tad-dritt, stat tad-dritt li kien għal qalb Daphne. Minflok ma jsaħħu d-demokrazija u d-drittijiet taċ-ċittadini, qed jressqu liġijiet li jgħaddu gaffa minn fuq il-poplu biex min għandu s-setgħa jsaltan u jgħaffeġ minn fuq kulħadd.
In-nies diġà wrew ir-rabja tagħhom fil-protesta enormi li mliet it-toroq tal-Belt bħal-lum ġimgħa, mimlija b’nies li fehmu li l-ftit għodod li għandhom biex jiġġieldu l-abbuż se jittieħdu mingħandhom ukoll. Minflok ma l-istituzzjonijiet biddlu r-rotta li kienu qabdu bil-mewt ta’ Daphne, dik tal-impunità, baqgħu jxerrduha u jsaħħuha, sakemm saret il-modus operandi ta’ dan il-Gvern, fejn xejn ma jibqa’ xejn.
Dan hu Gvern maħtuf mill-iżviluppaturi. Komplew u saħħew is-saltna, fi kliemhom stess, tal-’barunijiet’. Saret normali għal ħafna nies, li l-Gvern jixtri l-voti billi jqassmu ċekkijiet ftit ġimgħat qabel l-elezzjoni; draw ukoll li min jikser il-liġi jħallas il-flus u jinfirduh mill-għemil oxxen li jkun għamel. Kollox għandu prezz, imma xejn ma għandu valur. It-tajjeb ma jibqax jingħaraf mill-ħażin. Anzi, jekk tazzarda turi x’qed isir ħażin, jippruvaw iżebilħuk — jew, f’każ estrem, bħalma ġara lil Daphne, joqtluk.
Dan il-qtil jibqa’ jfakkarna li nistgħu nagħmlu żewġ għażliet: jew nitkellmu meta naraw il-ħażin u nħallsu l-prezz, jew ninjoraw u nħallu lil pajjiżna jegħreq.
Aħna, bħala ADPD – The Green Party, għażilna li ma nagħlqux ħalqna, għax il-prezz li qed inħallsu bħala pajjiż sar inestimabbli.”
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We shall continue to fight against impunity
Today ADPD-The Green Party Chairperson Sandra Gauci, together with Secretary General Ralph Cassar and PRO Brian Decelis, placed flowers at the Daphne Caruana Galizia memorial at the Great Siege Monument opposite the Law Courts in Valletta.
Sandra Gauci said: “Eight years have passed since the macabre assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, and the situation in the country has not only not improved but has gone from bad to worse. It is enough to see what the government is doing with the proposals concerning the planning reform bills. Instead of strengthening the checks and balances and accountability amongst authorities, the government is trying to remove any obstacles that developers encounter.
These proposals are a threat to the rule of law, a rule of law that Daphne took very seriously. Instead of strengthening democracy and citizens’ rights, the government is passing laws that will steamroller the public so that whoever is in power will rule in a way which will quash public concern.
The people have already shown their anger through the large protest that filled the streets of Valletta a week ago, with people who understood that the few tools that they have at their disposal to fight this abuse will now be taken away. Instead of seeing institutions changing their ways after Daphne’s death, that impunity has festered and grown, so much so that it has become the modus operandi of this government.
This is a government which has been hijacked by developers. They have become stronger and have become, in Labour’s own words, our modern-day ‘barons’. It has become the norm for many people to have the government buy votes by sending cheques a few weeks before the election; they have become used to having people breaking the law and then simply paying a fine instead of facing the law. Everything has a price, but nothing is considered of value. It is no longer a case of knowing good from evil. In fact, if you attempt to show what is wrong, you will be slandered, or in extreme cases, as in Daphne’s case, have you murdered.
This assassination reminds us of the two choices we have: we either speak up when we see wrongdoing and we pay the price, or we ignore it and let our country sink. We, as ADPD – The Green Party, have chosen to raise our voice on this, because the price our country is paying is unfathomable.
