Daphne Caruana Galizia’s sons have accused Prime Minister Joseph Muscat of having occupied all institutions through the appointment of people close to him.

They are right.

The members of the judiciary appointed to their posts have risen to the occasion by showing de facto that they are competent people, despite harbouring Labourite sympathies, and they have acted impartially and justly in carrying out their duties and responsibilities.

Not the same can be said in other areas. The Prime Minister’s bosom friend and army chief might be Malta’s top explosives expert.

Having been the recipient of four promotions in the short space of three or four short months has, however, definitely marred his reputation.

The present Police Commissioner’s ineptitude in the carrying out of his functions is unfortunately there for all to see.

The highest level of cronyism has been witnessed in the appointment of at least one ambassador, who had absolutely no credentials to be one. What’s more, he was posted to the European capital city in which his boyfriend was living, so as not to disrupt the family life.

But if Muscat could act with such impunity in these five years, that is because the previous Nationalist governments laid the ground for him to occupy all institutions by setting them up in such a way as to ensure that the election winner takes all:  whether it be Enemalta or Water Services, the Manoel Theatre or SportsMalta, the Malta National Orchestra or the Bank of Valletta chairmanship, Air Malta or Malta Enterprise, the National Tourism Organisation or Valletta Regeneration, Valletta 2018 or whatever else.

Muscat simply milked the existing system in the most rapid of ways. In five years he caught up with the Nationalist cronyism spread over 25 years.

Joseph Muscat simply milked the existing system in the most rapid of ways. In five years he caught up with the Nationalist cronyism spread over 25 years

Daphne’s writings lead to one conclusion: a good number of the present Maltese political class must go.

Muscat has already informed us of his exit plan. Whether he will end up president of the European Council or a European Commissioner, whether he will enter the business world or just earn his living travelling around the world giving lectures as Henley and Partners’ salesman, I don’t know. The fact is that he is leaving.

But that is not enough.

Muscat’s nearly five-year tenure has shown that he has been governing as a proxy for his money-minded business friends, with a good number of budget measures yearly tailor-made for the benefit of “raba’ sular” Sandro Chetcuti and his developer lobby. Today, the alternative to Muscat’s pro-developer government is Adrian Delia... a self-confessed developer himself. Unacceptable.

A good number of the present political class must go. Malta can no longer have politicians of the ilk of Konrad Mizzi, Keith Schembri and Adrian Delia, caught with their pants down in Panama or in Jersey by Daphne herself.

Malta does not need any mexxej-fawning politicians of the ilk of Deborah Schembri.

Politicians like David “Xerox” Agius and Toni “ODZ” Bezzina should disappear from the political radar and not shamelessly present themselves for election as Nationalist Party deputy leaders, after their past contradictory behaviour.

This is what Daphne was wisely always pointing out to us (apart from unwisely denigrating public figures’ physical appearances). The country ignored her message till now.

Now, we need to heed that message.

We owe it to her and to her family.

We owe it to ourselves, if we have a minimum of dignity and self-respect.

Arnold Cassola is former chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika.