The consequences of the disruption and collapse of rule of law are mostly felt by the poor and the most vulnerable in society. Its effects are indiscriminate and lethal as justice serves more to cover up and protect those who are resourceful at the expense of those who aren’t. Our authorities are severe on drugs, but lean on everything else – even the legislator and the law reflects this which, of course, serves the purpose of the legislator. And as long as we hold some sort of moral ground by waging a war against drugs, supposedly law and order are being upheld.
Justice for victims of the construction industry is a long and tiring crusade and there is no one to speak for them. Some are still fighting for justice. Other victims and their families didn’t get the justice they deserved such as the family of Miriam Pace who was killed inside her home by a construction digger. The architects who caused her death got a couple of months of community service and the court still allowed them to continue their profession. Then there is the case of Janet Walker who had to fight a long battle for three years to be able to live at her home again which was destroyed by construction activity.
Just like there is no justice for victims of traffic accidents, especially if they are foreigners. Ajay Shrestha, a Bolt courier from Nepal brought to Malta by a slave trader, was killed by the negligence of a truck driver. There will be no justice for him and his family. Like him, there are also many Maltese who can’t get justice for their loved ones, like Moira Vassallo whose husband Mark, was killed in a road accident but the attorney-general lost the case against the driver due to negligence.
Malta is a very cruel place for victims of the rule of law and Labour makes it even harder for them directly and indirectly. Apart from disrupting the rule of law to cover up corruption, the rule of law is also disrupted directly through legislation for petty-electoral purposes. In Malta, allowing people to do whatever they want with impunity wins votes. This is why for example, Owen Bonnici as Justice Minister, removed the minimum punishment for death by negligence.
Labour’s latest socialist mantra can’t be more fake when the value of life is reserved only for the showcase of the moralistic drug war, while the victims of jungle rules are considered merely a collateral statistic.
Amen to that Mr Camilleri