Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1540549
9 FEATURE maltatoday | SUNDAY • 19 OCTOBER 2025 Neville Gafà, Blogger and Joseph Muscat loyalist "Daphne Carua- na Galizia's murder was a tragedy that shook the nation. On that day, I was serving within the Prime Minister's Of- fice, and we immedi- ately and unequivocally condemned the assassi- nation. We continue to do so every single day. Condemning her mur- der, however, does not mean sanctifying the person. Daphne was, in truth, an oppressor and a bully, someone who built her legacy on deliberate cruelty and the humilia- tion of others. My stance remains un- changed: Speak honest- ly of the dead, even if it means speaking ill of them. It is time to ac- knowledge the full truth and recognise the harm she inflicted. Daphne Caruana Galizia used her platform to tarnish indi- viduals, spreading hatred and falsehoods while por- traying herself as a moral author- ity. Yet, society knew who she really was—a tax evader, a hate blogger, a person accused of do- mestic violence, and the Nationalist Party's cor- ruption gatekeeper for 25 years. Since the day she launched her blog, the PN has never won an elec- tion—a fact that speaks volumes about the divi- sive and destructive leg- acy she left behind. Eight years on, the time has come to separate myth from reality. Justice requires truth, and truth demands honesty—even when it concerns the dead." murder: How do they remember her? malice that affected 18-year-old at start of my po- career. always regarded her style as clas- divisive, and spite- that deeply many people. Al- she did carry out investigative journalism, the over- whelming majority of writings were always belittling and anyone who different opinion hers." murders of Ka- Grech and Raymond and the Caruana assassination. Jus- Daphne, irrespec- whose side we ourselves to be necessary condi- democratic sanity Andre Callus, Moviment Graffitti activist "Daphne represents courage against dan- gerous powers. In life, I often did not agree with her or with the way she said certain things. I disagreed with her regularly and strongly. But she wasn't killed because she offend- ed someone. She was killed because she was exposing the intimate and corrupt behaviour between big business and politicians. She wasn't killed because she offended Labour- ites. She exposed state capture from certain powerful people. These people were unelect- ed but still managed to gain control of the state, and this is some- thing we still see today, even with the govern- ment's recent planning reform. Eight years lat- er, Daphne continues to represent bravery in the face of these pow- erful people. Other things she might have done or said that I dis- agreed with, have no relevance today, espe- cially in the context of how she was killed. She faced certain powers head-on, not just po- litical powers but even economic ones." safety of silence, she the nerve to expose wrongdoings, in spite of onslaught she faced decades. And yet, in spite of the horror of that bleak after- noon, justice is yet to be served, not only for her assassination but also for stories that she in- vestigated, as well as the implementation of the recommendations of the public inquiry report. Which is, perhaps, why I thankful for the emer- gence of an ever-bolder society, the relentless of brave and under- appreciated journalists who have continued to pursue difficult stories, and that I am witnessing a community that has shown resilience in the face of extreme adversity." Pia Zammit, Occupy Justice activist "Eight years on, Daphne Caruana Galizia repre- sents both a wound and a warning. Her assassina- tion was meant to silence her—and by extension, to silence all of us who dare to question, expose, or demand better. Instead, her voice multiplied. Out of her assassination came movements like #oc- cupyjustice, born from outrage but sustained by determination—a group of ordinary women who refused to let impunity become Malta's default setting. From that same resolve, Repubblika was formed—a rule of law NGO built to hold power to account and to en- sure that justice, once demanded, could not be denied. For me, Daphne stands as the embodi- ment of moral courage; the insistence that truth matters even when it costs everything. As an activist, she reminds me that protest is not an act of anger but of love— love for justice, for our country, for the possibili- ty of a cleaner public life. Eight years on, her ab- sence is still felt in the silence that falls when power goes unchal- lenged. But her presence lives in every act of re- sistance, every banner raised, every young per- son who learns her sto- ry and decides they will not look away. Daphne is no longer just a jour- nalist; she has become Malta's conscience. And consciences, once awak- ened, cannot be killed." Simon Busuttil, former Opposition leader "My last recollection of Daphne is her last blogpost which will re- main forever imprinted in my mind. Posted a few minutes before her assassination, it was entitled: That crook Schembri was in court this morning, pleading that he is not a crook. It concerned a court sitting that took place that morning in a libel case that Keith Schem- bri, the prime minister's chief of staff, had filed against me for calling him out as corrupt after Daphne exposed his secret company in Panama. In her post, which is still online, Daphne took him to task for having protested his innocence in court, signing off with a chillingly presci- ent warning: "There are crooks everywhere you look now. The situation is desperate." After that sitting, it took a long time to fi- nally drag Schembri back to the witness stand. He created all sorts of obstacles and excuses to avoid turn- ing up in court for his cross-examination. That day finally came, on 11 November 2019, two years after the as- sassination. It was a dra- matic sitting in which the magistrate warned Schembri that if he re- fused to answer the questions put to him by the defence, he would be held in contempt of court. On the fifth warning, he threw in the towel. Rather than face the truth, he with- drew the case. A few days later, he resigned, followed by his political master in quick succes- sion. Eight years on, the crooks are still every- where and the situation is still desperate. Justice for Daphne and for Mal- ta continue to be de- layed and denied."