Hooking up to the criminals’ bandwagon: The pathetic laptop quip

Daphne Caruana Galizia was a complex person. Portraying her in black and white hues does no justice to the person she was and what she came to represent to others—whether friend or foe.

Fearless in front of authority and with a splendid command of the English language, she could analyse human behaviour accurately and understand the manner by which Maltese society functioned.

She also had her prejudices grounded in class and politics. She could argue in favour of migrant rights and against racism but flip the same arguments around when it came to discussing people who supported the Labour Party.

She had a nose for news stories that made her a good investigative journalist, uncovering corruption at the highest levels of government. She embarrassed politicians, exposed their wrongdoing and hounded them but she could also be selective in her targets.

She was also a gossiper, who would elevate private matters of no consequence to the public realm onto the national agenda. Ordinary individuals would suddenly find themselves in the crosshairs simply for posting a photo of themselves on Facebook waving a Labour Party flag. Guilt by association was one of her meanest streaks.

Daphne the gossiper more often than not cast a shadow on Daphne the serious journalist, who would stop at nothing to uncover abuse and corruption.

It is these contradictory traits that made Daphne a complex person and a divisive character. She remains so, even today, almost 10 years after her life was snuffed out by a powerful car bomb.

But we must never lose sight of the fact that the people who assassinated Daphne were criminals, who had much to lose because of what she knew about their deeds. The people who wanted her dead, abused of the prevailing negative public sentiment towards her to perpetrate the most heinous crime. These criminals believed they could get away with murder; that no one would care.

And even as Daphne’s legacy continues to divide people today, nothing can ever justify what happened to her on 16 October 2017. This is why certain comments coming predominantly from Labour quarters sound hollow, hurtful, even.

The quip, ‘Where is the laptop?’, directed to Daphne’s family is pathetic and irrelevant. It shows unwillingness to even appreciate what investigators have uncovered; how her murder was planned, how it was executed and the attempts to try and cover up for the presumed mastermind by people in power.

The people who murdered Daphne do not define and never did define the Labour Party or the absolute majority of its supporters. And yet, when diehard Labour activists and supporters blinded by political prejudice and misplaced party loyalty, perpetuate the perception that Daphne’s family may have played a part in her murder, they are only hooking up their wagon to the criminals who silenced her. In doing so, they are only doing a disservice to their party and the thousands of good people who will never condone such barbarity no matter how strong their feelings are about Daphne’s writings.

Hearing the forensic experts describe in court the scene they encountered at Bidnija, makes you shudder. Fragments of Daphne’s skull were found between the seats of her burnt car. Butchered body parts were strewn across the field. Her body was burnt beyond recognition.

The details are gruesome. Horrible. They were hard for our reporters following the trial by jury of Yorgen Fenech to stomach, let alone for Daphne’s children, husband, sisters and father, who have had to relive these moments time and time again over the past nine years.

And yet, this newspaper has chosen to report the graphic details emerging in court, gruesome as they may sound, because it is important for everyone to understand what happened on that fateful day almost 10 years ago. The person killed on that day was a mother, a sister, a wife, a daughter and nothing can ever justify or excuse the actions of those who wanted to eliminate her.

The man accused of masterminding Daphne’s murder—Yorgen Fenech—is currently on trial. He is pleading not guilty to the charges in what promises to be a marathon trial.

Nonetheless, we hope the trial can bring some form of closure to Daphne’s family, even if it is likely to leave many questions unanswered.