When Charles Dickens wrote his masterpiece “A Tale of Two Cities” he tackled complex societal themes as those of duality, revolution and resurrection. No doubt the proverbial quote “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” has remained indelible in the minds of many as truly symbolic of an era that gave rise to economic and political change worldwide; and in this day and age, particularly in Malta, it would reflect the best of times for the crooks and the worst of times for the victims of corruption. 

One would certainly ask what lies in common between Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities” and the two salient inquiries that have taken Malta and its media by storm? And what are the common factors linking the tragic fates that hit Daphne Caruana Galizia and Jean Paul Sofia? The reply to the latter is evident, whereby in both cases the authorities have been adamant to hold a public inquiry; no real responsibility was shouldered by Government and moreover two women emerged as heroines from the debris of the two tragic sagas.

Nevertheless, the moral of these calamitous events goes even beyond these common factors and points towards the reply to the first question. Remarkably in both cases there was a duality of purpose which manifests insatiable greed (which President Myriam Spiteri Debono referred to as a disease which harms society in her inaugural speech) at the cost of innocent lives and moreover an institutionalised code of silence and consequent inaction that shrouds the felony that reigns supreme often under cover of intricate grafts and widespread allurement.

It has taken years of forbearance; crowds to the street in various protests led by civil society; and an unwavering resilient pressure from the Opposition on the authorities to finally respond after a pathetic series of U-turns that unveiled the deceptive guise of the incumbent government.

Over the past months we have seen a clear difference between Europe’s standards and Malta’s government inaction. In fact, Daphne’s law was adopted to protect the media from strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) across the EU. The EU has also set CE marking (confirming conformity with European health, safety, and environmental protection standards) for construction materials, something which is lacking in Malta and which I raised this with the board on inquiry into the death of Jean Paul Sofia. I do hope that in both cases the EU law and standards are implemented in Malta. So far, we have seen a government dragging its feet to implement the recommendations of the two enquiries in full.

The consequences of evil, however, do not always exclude a redeeming view, all the more so in the presence of a precious opportunity looming ahead that could signal the reversal of this dismal state of affairs and restore the rule of law whilst eradicating abuse of power of the political elite. Fundamentally, this is an opportunity that each and every citizen of good will must not fail to seize in the exercise of that civic duty which is the right to vote. Only our vote in the forthcoming 8th June elections can convey a clear unequivocal message that we want EU standards to prevail in order to safeguard our security and that of future generations; that corruption must be fought tooth and nail; and that justice will once again be the fulcrum of the well-being of our society.

This I consider my vocation and my creed; my mission to accomplish a firm commitment which I have set myself; to serve my country in the European Parliament; it is my pledge to ensure that EU standards and laws are effectively put into practice and not remain merely on paper. Moreover, I avow to actively pursue the fight against corruption and to push towards stepping up measures which so far may not have been fully exploited through technical means and the provisions of EU legislation on public procurement, as well as a closer collaboration with OLAF and EPPO. These I maintain are achievable goals; a possibility for an eventual resurrection of values and transformation on a societal level. I earnestly believe, as stated by Dickens, that moral duty is a product of reason and that ultimately reason will prevail with the undecided voters and also with those who blinded with indifference and inertia do not yet realise the importance of their vote and that each and every vote can make a difference.  

Peter Agius is PN MEP Candidate