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Yesterday, Repubblika and Occupy Justice Malta announced a protest on 16 February.

A poster announcing a protest ‘in favour of the right to justice, against corruption of people in power and the intimidation of activists.’

Readers who have been following my work for some time know that I’ve been publicly calling for mass protests since July of last year.

When I started asking around towards the end of 2024, the responses I got were lukewarm at best.

I offered an open platform to civil society organisations who had previously participated in mass protests.

The idea was to encourage independent voices to pitch directly to this website’s audience and hopefully drum up support for such protests. A mere handful had stepped forward, and some outright refused to endorse such a call.

As you can imagine, I was pleased to hear yesterday’s announcement. In light of the government’s ongoing campaign to dismantle public access to justice, such an announcement is the first step in a long journey. It is a positive shift in tone and mindset, and it is welcome.

It is now time to talk brass tacks.

To begin with, we are witnessing significant changes in the political landscape. The impact of political newcomers will depend on whether any of them can shake off ‘the third party‘ curse.

In any case, Maltese voters are spoilt for choice in the upcoming general elections. There are at least six political groupings which are worth mentioning these days: the Labour Party, the Nationalist Party, ADPD, Momentum, il-Kollettiv, and Partit Malta Progressiva.

The Labour Party does not deserve to govern. The Labour Party is a criminal organisation that needs to be thoroughly investigated, prosecuted, and then consigned to the dustbin of history. In the context of the electoral race, it is the obvious black sheep.

The Nationalist Party presents itself as a government in waiting with the kind of self-certainty that comes with being part of an uncontested duopoly for so long.

Given the opposition leader’s consistently poor ratings and the party’s failure to come to terms with its insularity, it is unlikely that they will consider building a common anti-mafia platform with other political parties.

It seems clear that, from a strategic point of view, the Nationalist Party wants the big prize all to itself, and it is not willing to leverage its electoral staying power by offering a leg up to smaller parties that it views as a threat to its hegemony.

Though the Nationalist Party’s toxic legacy would make for a poisoned chalice for any smaller party considering an alliance, it is nonetheless evident that this is the most convenient path forward for parties who wish to stand a serious chance of making in-roads in Parliament.

The only other viable option is a multi-party coalition involving some form of collaboration between ADPD, Momentum, il-Kollettiv, and Partit Malta Progressiva (PMP).

Since these parties have already gone the extra mile to establish their own individual identities and distance themselves from each other, it does not seem like any of them are considering such a coalition.

Having said that, minor acts of mutual support such as PMP’s nod towards Momentum’s petition against changes to magisterial inquiry legislation ought to serve as a blueprint for how these parties should behave with each other.

As important as it is to consider all electoral strategies to boot the Labour Party out of power, one salient fact cannot be ignored: no politician will ever represent the public better than the public itself.

We’ve been silent for far too long. As a nation, we have failed to heed the warnings of our best and brightest and have allowed ourselves to slide into fascism.

Before yesterday’s announcement, the last large protest we’ve witnessed happened in May of last year.

Due to a long list of complex, intersecting reasons which could easily take up a whole thesis’ worth of writing to explain, the Maltese psyche is woefully lacking in the kind of rebellious instinct that is needed to bring down a corrupt government.

One nearby example is the ongoing student-led rebellion against the Serbian government. An entirely preventable tragedy which occurred due to years of institutional corruption galvanised the country’s youth, who had long grown sick and tired of unfettered cronyism.

Simmering resentment towards the Maltese government’s spectacular levels of corruption is present. It’s the final nudge that tips us over the edge that always seems to be lacking.

All that’s missing is a dedicated, organised node of resistance that taps into the already existing infrastructure that was created by civil society. Our real power lies in systemically opposing the government’s every move to stifle dissent with tangible, physical resistance. Hitting the streets for a protest is the starting point.

Over this past decade, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve personally witnessed others instinctively pulling back whenever the country reaches a critical juncture such as the one we are facing in the present.

Withdrawing and refusing to pay attention are symptomatic of how bad the situation is. It is your psyche trying to preserve what’s left of your sanity, and it’s completely understandable.

Even the physicality of the term ‘hitting the streets’ carries an implicit sense of violence within it that can make people uncomfortable.

Nobody rejoices at the prospect of entrenching themselves in conflict, in facing off against the machinery of an entire government. I, for one, wish I could live a simpler life that does not involve regularly facing off with the prospect of government litigation coming down on me like a bag of hammers.

But the fact is that we all have a duty to stand up for what is right. Corruption distorts everyone’s right to exist freely of the pressures that come with a broken system that serves nobody except those who corrupt it.

It is up to us to overcome the sense of inferiority we are born and bred with as a nation.

We deserve better, and we are way past the point in which our efforts to persuade politicians to listen to our appeals can be considered enough.

Now is the time for people of action. Better is no longer something one can request. It must be fought for, inch by inch.

2 Comments

  • Tanya Gera says:

    We must go out in the streets and protest. We have now reached rock bottom and this corrupt government needs to be stopped. They all have dirty laundry and they all should be prosecuted for their wrong doing. . It is unheard of that both Joseph Muscat and Robert Abela both cover up for the corrupt instead of seeking the good of the country. Enough is enough . The situation is desperate.

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