The title is the last sentence of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s last post. Reading it today has a total different meaning than when she wrote it.

When she wrote those words, just minutes before her assassination, to many she was being negative and that her agenda seemed to be that of negativity.  The Labour Party, harped on for four years and more, claiming she is a negative influence on our society and that we should view the government in a more positive light.

The Nationalist Party, following the electoral defeat, not only distanced itself from her, but also turned its back on her.

She was left alone.

Reading those words today, one does get a sense of desperation and of frustration. The police instead of investigating the scandals she wrote about daily are now instead investigating her brutal murder. The institutions failed her and also failed us.

Let’s make no mistake, the institutions have not crumbled by chance, but they did so by design. Daphne wrote on the systematic failing of different segments of the government, which when taken as a whole meant that the State simply does not work equally for all.

She did not speak in general terms about the failure of rule of law in Malta.

She pinpointed instances in very graphic details. She named the persons involved, she produced documents where necessary and left little to one’s imagination. She made enemies in the highest places in Malta and abroad. Upon reflection, one wonders how did she manage to survive so long.

She made enemies in the highest places in Malta and abroad. Upon reflection, one wonders how she did manage to survive so long

Daphne advocated for those who entered politics or public office to be decent. Not necessarily angels, but certainly not devils. She was extremely harsh with those who transgressed.

She had the old-fashioned notion that politicians should not be self-serving, that politicians should be above reproach and that politicians should be intelligent, apart from media savvy.

Politics seems to have been more concerned with and revolving round tenders, consultancies, revolving doors, contracts, permits. There are a number of politicians and those swarming around them, more interested in what they can extract from politics and less about those who voted for them.

The State seems to be rotten from the core and there is very little courage and will to fight the cancer that has eaten most of the vital organs.

With Daphne’s assassination, there is certainly a void. There is uncertainly whether anyone will pick up the flag to continue the charge.  This incident must be a changing point in how we look at things.

It is now up to decent politicians of whichever political creed to take up the challenge. It is up to our present and future journalists to enquire more deeply than before. We cannot allow just one person to carry out a crusade, with the rest of us just clicking from one article to another, where the bravest action would be to share an article.

There must be a collective movement for change in this country.

We need to take action and all of us must participate. It is true that the perpetrators of this crime have the means to carry out a murder to silence whichever story hurts them. However, decent politicians, judges and top officials must distance themselves from the others and speak out against those issues which are damaging our society.

At the polls we must vote in decent politicians, who can rebuild our institutions, not in form but also in substance.

We all have to question spin and be more intelligent on identifying what is actually taking place. No need of heroes, just use logic and common sense.

Let’s all take on board Daphne’s agenda.

Malcolm Mifsud is a lawyer.