Friends of the Earth Malta expresses grave concerns about the developments that have been evolving since the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.

FoE Malta believes that in light of the murder itself and also the current state of our democratic institutions, our duty to expose and resist injustices has never been so critical – civil society, including environmental NGOs are needed to be at the vanguard of free speech and justice.

As a controversial journalist we have not always agreed with her agenda and idea of “normality”, especially when fellow members and colleagues were directly targeted by her blog. Yet, her relentless reporting concerning corruption and the links to the international financial and criminal worlds were the only voice that detailed the murky reality our country is currently in.

The connections that companies like Tumas Group, Gasan, db Group and others have with people in power and elected officials should not be taken lightly – these links now show clearly, more than ever before, why Malta is looking like a concrete jungle and hence why large scale projects such as the db Tower, the Quad, the Malta-Gozo tunnel and other such projects are being pushed forward without following legal and planning processes and procedures.

There can be no environmental justice without proper/fair democratic institutions and structures.This is the right time for people to say no for the many decades of having politicians from both PN and PL parties in government who have rolled the red carpet to dubious tycoons, autocratic leaders and tax evaders. The value systems brought about by politicians and their “as long as the economy is fine anything goes” mantra have now led to some of the biggest environmental and social injustices suffered by the country.

A dark cloud has settled firmly on our country as many have come to realise that our institutionalised courting of a beast much bigger than them is now threatening to destroy the very fabric of our society. We believe that until the institutions are unshackled from the grip of such forces there will be no prospect of environmental and social justice in the country.

Friends of the Earth Malta demands that all national institutions should be freed from political manipulation and thus serve the public interest rather than politicians and big business. All large tenders and planning applications that were dished out over the past years must be investigated by an independent authority. We also demand that national services such as the power station are renationalized in the interest of the general public.

Friends of the Earth Malta will be supporting the ‘Politika Nadifa, Soċjetà Ġusta’ protest being organised tomorrow – Saturday at 10.00 near Castille Square