My article last week was submitted for publication several hours before Daphne Caruana Galizia’s monstrous murder. This is my first opportunity to pay tribute.
It would be hypocritical of me to pretend that Daphne and I saw eye to eye. Although we worked on the same side during the divorce referendum, we parted company thereafter on a number of political issues which it would be utterly inappropriate for me to resurrect now. For despite these differences, I always admired her outstanding ability as an investigative journalist: the most tenacious, fearless and effective Malta has ever known.
We were totally at one in our belief in freedom of conscience and freedom of expression – the liberty to express our concerns, the freedom to worship who we want, or not to worship at all – values which go right to the heart of Western democratic standards and civilisation.
It is difficult, therefore, to express the sense of violation felt by all reasonable men and women after her vicious murder in a cowardly car bomb attack. That some person or persons unknown felt the particular harm done them by a brilliant journalist should be countered by executing her in cold blood provides a grisly twist on the human capacity for evil.
In response, people throughout Malta are right to allow their sense of moral outrage free rein. The attack should prompt a redoubling of efforts to define and defend free expression in Malta. It should galvanise our independent media and political leaders – both lay and religious – into protecting the most basic rights of freedom of expression. But it should also cause us to take stock of what this barbaric and mindless act tells us about the state of Malta today.
Freedom of expression is a Western democratic ideal, which flowered relatively late. In Malta, it did not arrive until the late-19th century. The standard philosophical authority for free speech is the Victorian Englishman, John Stuart Mill, who warned of the dangers of intellectual repression, in which questioning and criticism of received opinion is discouraged.
Like Caruana Galizia, he did not consider abuse, offence, insult or humiliation at all harmful. He was in tune with other philosophers of his age, who believed unreservedly in the importance of vigorous criticism, the clash of ideas and the exposure of wrongdoing. Caruana Galizia epitomised this last to the letter.
Freedom of speech insists that uncomfortable, painful, even offensive utterances fall within the bounds of liberty. If it is to mean anything, we must defend the right to shock. The Maltese should understand that the instinct to shock and upset society is often a positive one. That’s how ideas get tested, prejudices exposed and society advances. Freedom of speech does not mean a thing if we don’t also defend it for those who offend, rile and outrage.
Arbitrary interference or tampering by government in matters outside its constitutional remit must not be allowed to recur
On Black Monday evening in the immediate wake of the brutal killing of Caruana Galizia, in Sliema and St Julian’s, coming together there from far and wide in Malta, thousands of people gathered holding candles in a vigil. Although many may not have realised this, they symbolised the freedom to write and express in print what lies in one’s mind, as Caruana Galizia did.
These people were inspired by a deep feeling of human solidarity. But in reality – and as importantly – in all probability their concerns were wider and deeper than this. They were expressing a visceral fear of what is happening in Malta to the rule of law, to the governance of this country and the state of its institutions.
We present ourselves to the world as a country committed to the rule of law. Where the law is robust and neutral because respect for the rule of law enables people to plan, to invest, to negotiate and to live without fear of arbitrary interference. The efficient and effective administration of justice is essential to any successful democracy. But for far too long Malta has fallen short. Confidence is at a low ebb.
The most pressing issue is to overcome the terrible dearth of talent and trust in the Malta Police Force, which constitutes the frontline (and Achilles heel) of Malta’s rule of law. If we are to progress as a rule-based democracy we need to ensure that the machinery of law and order is in good working order.
Arbitrary interference or tampering by government in matters outside its constitutional remit must not be allowed to recur. This calls overridingly for police commissioners who are independent-minded and operationally independent of the State. Fundamental improvements to the calibre, leadership, training and top structure of the Malta Police Force are vitally needed and long overdue.
Although the Prime Minister has injected a measure of energy and fresh thinking into government, these efforts have been undermined by levels of sleaze and misgovernment the likes of which have not been seen since the 1980s. These have led to a succession of scandals which have tarnished his administration.
The basics of good governance are accountability, transparency and efficient delivery, all robustly underpinned by the rule of law. High ethical standards in public life are vital to ensuring basic trust and confidence in government. The last four years have not fostered the promotion of high standards in public life, or the transparent, independent and accountable ethical regulation upon which a thriving democracy depends.
In her life, Caruana Galizia stood for criticising fearlessly those who behave badly, who seek to impose their will by coercion or corrupt means. The case for freedom of speech which she exemplified was put succinctly by George Orwell, who defined liberty as “the right to tell people what they do not want to hear”. She would echo that to the rafters.
Free speech means being prepared to have your beliefs ridiculed and your sensibilities offended. Can we in Malta confront that reality in the name of freedom, or are we forever to defer to those placed in power over us?
Malta has been demoralised. We must change. The quality of our governance must improve. We must catch the perpetrators of this savage crime – and nail some of the outlandish conspiracy theories doing the rounds – so that Caruana Galizia did not die in vain.