The Honourable Michael Mallia
The Honourable Abigail Lofaro
The Honourable Joseph Said Pullicino
Madam, gentlemen of the Inquiry Board,
We thank the Board for the opportunity to submit our considerations in writing before it draws up its final conclusions.
1. Repubblika
Repubblika was formally constituted on 25 January 2019 in terms of the Voluntary Organisations Act (Cap. 492 of the Laws of Malta) “to promote civil rights, democratic life, the rule of law, free speech, personal freedoms, social inclusion, environmental conservation, economic sustainability and equality of access, by means of active participation in the national discourse and related educational, social and charitable initiatives.”
Our statute (Article 3, 1) asserts inter alia that:
“The Association considers the following principles as inherent to any civil society in a democracy operating under the Rule of Law and in giving effect to these shall not act in any way that is inconsistent with them:
- “Civil society comprises the entire range of individuals, organised groups and institutions independent of the State, acting in a voluntary or non-profit environment and at least to some extent self-generating and self-reliant. This includes non-governmental organisations, independent media, think tanks, universities and social and religious groups. Civil society participants respect the rule of law, the rights of individuals and the rights of other groups to express their interests and opinions with full respect for the concepts of pluralism and diversity.
- “A democratic State is well-functioning and authoritative and incorporates ways and means to check, monitor and restrain the power of political leaders and State officials. In this context civil society oversees how State officials use their powers and raises public concern about any abuse and lobbies for access to information to carry out this function.
- “Civil society exposes the corrupt conduct of public officials and lobbies for good governance reforms.”1
We also assert (Article 4, 1, vii) the view that:
“The Association asserts that the State has a duty to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the obligation to protect the rights of civil society. In this regard, the State’s duty is both negative (i.e., to refrain from interference with human rights and fundamental freedoms) and positive (i.e., to ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms). The State’s duty includes an accompanying obligation to ensure that the law is appropriately enabling and that the necessary institutional mechanisms are in place to ensure the recognised rights of all individuals.”
For us, this is more than a declaration of principles. Repubblika was founded by individuals who came together in the wake of the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia. We did this because we were angry and dissatisfied with the action of, or failure to act by, the authorities before and after Daphne Caruana Galizia was killed.