On the sixth anniversary of the gruesome murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, we now are now seeing how what she discovered would be the beginning of a seemingly endless series of scandals.  From her murder until today, impunity has reared its ugly head more and more, while institutionalized clientelism and nepotism has become the way of government.  Almost every week we hear of cases of people, who without any shame at all, get which they don’t deserve. Merit seems to have become just a pipe dream for most.

ADPD-The Green Party speakers addressed these issues when they addressed a news conference near the Great Siege monument in Valletta, which is also serving as a memorial for Daphne Caruana Galizia.

ADPD-The Green Party Deputy Secretary General, Mario Mallia, said that serious accusations about people who took social assistance for disability without deserving it, shows how even the pain of being sick or disabled, has become an instrument of power and nepotism. We saw the small fry being taken to court and being asked to return what they stole. This is a step in the right direction but the state has to show its mettle with the big fish too. There is also a need for political responsibility to be shouldered, resignations are in order.

Mallia also said the Prime Minister’s statements after the driving license scandal was made public by The Times of Malta, are of great concern to honest citizens who wish to see good governance and fairness.  It is shameful that the Prime Minister dismisses such a scandal, passing it off as ‘customer care’.

“We are citizens in a country where everyone is supposed to be the same before the law and everyone should be given the same opportunities.  But Abela institutionalized and gave his blessing to a culture of friends of friends, making it an essential part of his leadership.  He never showed any contrition or ever offered the nation an apology. On the contrary, he kept coming to the defence and apologizing for those who have been pigging out with his blessing.

His position is very much out of synch with the statement he made last Sunday at the General Conference of the Labour Party, that what he does is motivated by socialist principles.  What kind of socialism is this that promotes a system that serves the insider rather than serving citizens with a sense of justice?  The Prime Minister seems to have not yet understood that his duty as Prime Minister is towards everyone and not just towards party hacks. Instead of going on the defensive and considering criticism as an ‘attack’, his job is to fix the flaws of an outdated, dishonest and unfair system.  This would be the smartest way to honour Daphne’s memory”.

ADPD-The Green Party’s Chairperson Sandra Gauci in her intervention argued that what Daphne Caruana Galizia revealed seems to have been a Pandora’s box from which a chain of scandals continue to emerge at a rapid rate, further eroding trust in the institutions.  This regularity seems to be  making people indifferent and give up on politicians and those who represent them in parliament.

“We ended up in a country with first class and second class citizens where money is the measure between the two.  Meritocracy is dead, buried and forgotten and people have lost faith that one day we will see a spark of justice where everyone is considered the same and given the same opportunities,” she said.

“People of goodwill need to roll up their sleeves and unite to take back their country and get it back on its feet by restoring dignity to the Police force with a leadership that speaks truth to power and truly believes in fairness with everyone.

There is a critical need to put capable people, rather than friends of friends in key positions.  Mediocre leadership is leading to chaos with citizens being robbed twice over with their taxes being used either for the wrong purposes or to fund appointments granted on anything but merit.

Let’s not allow Daphne’s death to be in vain,” concluded Gauci.

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Dak li kitbet Daphne Caruana Galizia huwa rilevanti illum iktar minn qatt qabel!

F’għeluq is-sitt sena mill-qtil makabru tal-ġurnalista Daphne Caruana Galizia, qed nintebħu dejjem iktar kemm dak li skopriet hi kien se jkun il-bidu ta’ serje ta’ skandli li jidhru bla tmiem. Mill-qtil tagħha sal-lum f’Malta ssaħħet it-triq tal-impunità, tal-klijenteliżmu istituzzjonalizzat u tal-ħbieb tal-ħbieb u dan sar stil iktar ċar tat-tmexxija. Fil-beraħ u bla mistħija ta’ xejn qed nisimgħu kważi kull gimgħa b’każijiet fejn nies jieħdu dak li ma ħaqqhomx għax il-mertu sar xi ħaġa tal-ħolm biss.

Dawn sostnewh kelliema tal-ADPD-The Green Party meta indirizzaw konferenza tal-aħbarijiet ħdejn il-monument tal-Assedju il-Kbir fil-Belt Valletta, li qiegħed iservi wkoll bħala mafkar għal Daphne Caruana Galizia.

Id-Deputat Segretarju Ġenerali tal-ADPD, Mario Mallia, qal li meta tisma b’akkużi serji dwar nies li ħadu għajnuna soċjali għad-diżabilità mingħajr ma kien ħaqqhom, tara kif kollox, anke l-weġgħa li tkun marid jew diżabbli, saret strument ta’ poter.  Rajna l-ħuta ż-żgħira titla’ l-qorti u tintalab trodd lura dak li ħadet bla ma kellha dritt għalih. Dan hu pass tajjeb, imma s-snien l-iktar li jridu jintwerew mal-ħut il-kbir. Ir-responsabbiltà politika għal dak li ġara għandha tintrefa’ b’riżenji immedjati.

Mallia qal ukoll li kliem il-Prim Ministru, wara l-iskandli tal-liċenzji li jingħataw bl-addoċċ, huwa ta’ tħassib kbir għal kull ċittadin onest u ta’ rieda tajba li jixtieq jgħix f’pajjiż li fih tirrenja l-ġustizzja. Ma jistgħax ikollok Prim Ministru li jiskuża skandlu ta’ dan it-tip u jipprova jgħaddih bħala customer care.

“Aħna ċittadini ġo pajjiż fejn suppost kulħadd hu l-istess quddiem il-liġi u suppost kulħadd għandu jingħata l-istess opportunitajiet. Imma Abela istituzzjonalizza u ta l-barka tiegħu lill-kultura tal-ħbieb tal-ħbieb u għamilha parti essenzjali tat-tmexxija tiegħu. Qatt ma ndenja ruħu juri ndiema jew joffri apoloġija. Minflok, baqa jaqbeż għal persuni involuti fil-klijenteliżmu, jiskuża l-ħniżrijiet tagħhom u jagħtihom il-barka tiegħu.

Din il-pożizzjoni tistona ħafna mad-dikjarazzjoni li għamel il-Ħadd li għadda fil-Konferenza Generali tal-Partit, li dak li jagħmel huwa motivat mill-principji soċjalisti.  X’soċjalizmu hu dan li jrewwaħ sistema li taqdi lil ta’ gewwa flok, b’sens ta’ gustizzja, taqdi lil kulħadd skont kif imissu?  Il-Prim Ministru jidher li għadu ma fehmx li l-obbligi tiegħu bħala Prim Ministru huma lejn il-poplu kollu mhux biss lejn min iċapċaplu.  Flok ma jmur fuq id-difensiva u jikkunsidra l-kritika bħala attakk, xogħlu hu li jindirizza d-difetti ta’ sistema skaduta, diżonesta u inġusta.  Dan ikun il-mod dehen kif il-memorja ta’ Daphne tiġi mfakkra”.

Iċ-Chairperson tal-ADPD-The Green Party, Sandra Gauci fl-intervent tagħha staqsiet fejn qatt konna nobsru li dak li kixfet Daphne Caruana Galizia kellu jkun bħall-kaxxa ta’ Pandora li minnha b’rata mgħaġġla jibqgħu joħorġu katina ta’ skandli li jkomplu jtaqqlu u jdejjnu lill-poplu Malti; skandli li naqqru serjament il-fiduċja fl-istituzzjonijiet, filwaqt li ġabu n-nies irrassenjati għax qatgħu qalbhom minn min suppost jirrappreżenthom fil-Parlament.

“Spiċċajna pajjiż fejn hemm ċittadini tas Serje A u tas-serje B fejn il-flus huma l-kejl bejn it-tnejn. Il-mertu miet, indifen u ntesa. In-nies b’qalbhom maqtugħa li xi darba għad ikun hawn xrara ta’ ġustizzja; fejn kulħadd jitqies l-istess u jingħata l-stess opportunitajiet,” sostient Gauci.

“Hemm bżonn inxammru l-kmiem u n-nies ta’ rieda tajba jingħaqdu biex jieħdu lura pajjiżhom.  Jerġgħu jagħtu dinjità lill-korp tal-Puluzija bi tmexxija li ma tibżax turi snienha mal-kbar u li temmen verament fil-ġustizzja ma’ kulħadd.

Hemm bżonn li flok ħbieb tal-ħbieb, jitpoġġew nies kapaċi f’postijiet ta’ importanza għall-pajjiż.  Iċ-ċittadini qed jinsterqu darbtejn; meta jaraw li t-taxxi tagħhom jintużaw għall-ħela filwaqt li jiffinanzjaw persuni inkompetenti li tpoġġew f’pożizzjonijiet importanti mingħajr mertu. 

Ejja ma nħallux il-mewt ta’ Daphne tkun ġrat ta’ xejn,” temmet tgħid Gauci.