Daphne cannot be commemorated without acknowledging the corruption that led to her assassination

Today’s statement by a former cabinet minister that “The government must recognise Caruana Galizia’s contribution to expose abuse and corruption” should not be ignored. It echoes the finding of the public inquiry into the circumstances of Daphne’s assassination that cabinet inaction and failure to “demand as a government that steps should be taken to ensure that the rule of law is observed…politically sent a strong signal that the sense of impunity which was being formed right at the heart of the administration had the silent approval, if not the blessing, of the whole Cabinet.”

That the government must acknowledge Daphne’s work exposing political corruption “with a clear gesture understood by all” is beyond dispute. Commemorating Daphne intrinsically means publicly acknowledging the corruption and impunity that led to her assassination, particularly that involving the LNG tanker and Electrogas project. Only with that public acknowledgement would commemoration be appropriate and sincere, and only then can public and private wounds begin to heal.