Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1481871
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 16 OCTOBER 2022 NEWS flower-cleansing at the Daphne shrine opposite the law courts, a ridiculous act that disrespected the wishes of those who memo- rialised her legacy and death. But he was unwilling, or una- ble, to turn a new page by giving some kind of official recognition to a journalist who paid the ul- timate price. In short, he was too weak to give that landmark speech which can rise above a residue of justified resentment on Daphne as merely the gos- sip-monger, but which recog- nises her role in exposing a cabal which was actively subverting the institutions. And even the Nationalist Party remains split between elements who venerate her as a hero, and those who blame her character assassinations and dress-down of public figures who did not conform to her expectations of what is expected from a Nation- alist politician, for the downturn in party fortunes. For ironically, Caruana Gal- izia's legacy was even more devastating for the PN than for Labour, with her assassination making the political survival of Adrian Delia as PN leader, unsustainable. For how could he keep the party united after the assassination of someone whom he called inconsequential ("biċċa blogger") now turned in- to a martyr? And neither has her death contributed to the creation of cross-party movement for jus- tice against corruption, with this space largely occupied by groups perceived to be intrinsi- cally hostile to the Labour Party. The closest to this was the De- cember 2019 protest movement – which included voices from the Maltese left like Graffitti, but which did not outlast Mus- cat's removal from office. From iconoclast to canonised saint Ironically the iconoclastic journalist and blogger, who ex- celled in bringing down to size inflated egos, has been turned into a saint. The hagiography was understandable in the first months after her death, but at times it becomes a disservice to the memory of a real historical actor who dirtied her hands, in her relentless battles against pet hates – some were insignifi- cant mortals whose only sin was some form of association with Labour – but also some of the most powerful people in the is- land. Ultimately Labour supporters have to recognise that Daphne was assassinated not for her des- picable dress-downs of incon- sequential Labourites, but for her hounding of the big mon- ied interests who came close to hijacking the country. That realisation can only be made if Abela has the courage to spell it out. But it could happen sooner if her admirers also recognise some of her pitfalls. For while her death has impov- erished journalism, depriving it of a relentless force of nature, nobody has so far dared follow in her footsteps when it comes to personal exposés on extra- marital affairs or personal health matters which many found dis- tasteful. Even here there is a risk of going from one extreme to another, simply because in some cases, though painful, such rev- elations may be consequential. And overlooked by some of her more conservative admirers, is Daphne's social liberalism and her pro-choice views. These as- pects of Caruana Galizia tend to be forgotten. The things which did not change The greatest disappointment five years after her assassina- tion, and nearly three years after Yorgen Fenech's arrest, is the sluggish pace of institutional change, especially in reforms aimed at setting a firewall be- tween political power and big business groups. That the Degiorgio brothers, and Vince Muscat, have been jailed after pleading guilty for having executed the assassina- tion of Caruana Galizia, as well as the upcoming prosecutions of the Maksar gang, are welcome developments. But ultimately the picture emerging from assassination plot and the various spin-offs from Panamagate is that of an incestuous relationship between big business, organised crime and politicians. Despite con- stant reminders by internation- al bodies like the OSCE, Malta still lacks a national prosecuting office responsible for fighting corruption. Moreover, a code of ethics introducing a transparen- cy register where all meetings between lobbyists and ministers are logged, as proposed by the Standards Commissioner, is still gathering dust as are a number of anti-corruption and anti-ma- fia laws proposed by the Oppo- sition. And while government has partly heeded the public inquiry in proposing media reforms which give constitutional recog- nition to journalism as a pillar of democracy, even such a posi- tive step was marred by a lack of consultation and by inadequate provisions on the state obliga- tion to provide information. Thankfully on the eve of the sad anniversary, Abela has back- tracked by submitting the bills to public consultation. And ultimately five years on despite the pending trial of the hired assassins and the arraign- ment of Yorgen Fenech, no light has been cast on the alleged cover-up and the possible role of Keith Schembri and Joseph Muscat in it. While the Egrant inquiry did not find any evi- dence that the Muscats owned the secret Panama company as claimed by Caruana Galizia, no further attempts were made to establish for whom this secret company was created. As time passes and inquiries linger on, there is a risk of col- lective amnesia setting in, rel- egating Daphne Caruana Gal- izia's memory to a footnote of history. And that is why it is so im- portant, even for people who profoundly disagreed with her antics, to keep remembering her role in exposing a dark chapter in Maltese history. For although she might not have been always a hero in life, she was surely one in death. Protests outside Castille. While so much has changed, so much has remained the same. Labour's enduring majority has emerged even stronger in the 2022 election, despite no major sign of contrition for the complicity of the State in the conditions that led to the assassination Ultimately Labour supporters have to recognise that Daphne was assassinated not for her despicable dress-downs of inconsequential Labourites, but for her hounding of the big monied interests who came close to hijacking the country. That realisation can only be made if Abela has the courage to spell it out.