Former PN minister Louis Galea has said that the failure to guarantee Daphne Caruana Galizia’s safety came from the failure of the State’s institutions.
Galea (who is also overseeing a reform of the PN), was delivering a speech at the PN party club in Sliema, following a mass dedicated to the slain journalist.
The mass dedicated to Daphne Caruana Galizia was held at St Patrick’s church in sliema. The mass, in memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia who was murdered nearly two years ago, was organised by the PN Sliema committee. The activity had received backclash online, when Daphne Caruana Galizia’s father had accused the Nationalist Part of opportunism and called it an “insult to Daphne”. Michael Vella was commenting on Manuel Delia’s blog. “To use this opportunistic initiative by the PN is an insult to Daphne, our daughter, to all that she stood for and died for – and to all that she still stands for in the war against corruption and for transparency and honesty in the government,” the murdered journalist’s father had said.
PN members and PN local council members, along with ex PN leader and current MP Simon Busuttil, Louis Galea, PN Deputy Leader Robert Arrigo and a number of MPs were present during the mass. Nationalist Party leader Adrian Delia was nowhere to be seen.
The priest asked for everyone’s prayers for Daphne and her family.
The mass was followed by a speech on democracy and justice by former minister Louis Galea at the PN party club in Sliema. Just as the mass, Delia was still not present.
Galea recalled how he himself participated in a number of vigils held by Occupy Justice.
He thanked the group’s initiative to organise events in memory of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
“We must reflect on how we should look towards Daphne and how the State continues to fail us,” explained Galea. He described the events of 16 October 2017 as a human tragedy, a murder of a journalist, women, wife and mother who was known around the island for her investigative work.
“For a moment, I try to understand the sense of emptiness and the pain that the Caruana Galizia family are feeling… and of course nothing can compare to what they are feeling.”
He recalled the first moments after he found out that Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed. “Daphne reported threats to her safety and the lives of her family to the police. What protection did the police provide? It was unspoken common knowledge that Daphne required State protection and what did the authorities do to assist this?” Galea asked. He said that since her murder, many have been left feeling angry and with many questions unanswered about the State, who had failed to keep Daphne Caruana Galizia safe. He said that the failure of her safety came from the failure of the State’s institutions.
He also said that the Nationalist Party politicians were also involved in Daphne’s criticism and pointed out that Daphne had an open mind and criticised all parties and businesses. “Her main role was to provide the truth to the Maltese readers and to highlight the corruption happening on the island.”
He spoke about her professionalism as a journalist and thanked the current newsrooms and journalists who continue her investigative work in looking into corruption and nepotism.
“Daphne worked independently and she was ready to pay the price for her work, just like many other investigative journalists in other European countries.” She wrote about the defects, the corruption of our island and would ridicule those politicians and businessmen.
He explained that the State continues to fail the Maltese people, and highlighted that due to the lack of justice and rights, Daphne is no longer with us. “Our democracy continues to crumble as the State continues to fail us.” He explained that her comments on the government were not because she was anti-labour, but because they were facts.
“Something rotten in our country is the understatement of the year.”
Galea mentioned that he is working hard in transforming the Nationalist Party, “a party which transformed Malta from a third country into a EU member. “Yes the party is facing difficulties, and we must find the road to guide ourselves on the right path.”
Photos by Alenka Falzon
