The public inquiry into Daphne Caruana Galizia’s murder should be a watershed moment in Malta’s history.

The conclusions of the three judges is a damning indictment: the state created an atmosphere of impunity, generated from the highest echelons of the administration inside Castille, the tentacles of which then spread to other institutions, such as the police and regulatory authorities, leading to a collapse in the rule of law.

The worst thing that could happen is that this horrific chapter will now be destined to the history books and forgotten simply because the conclusions of the public inquiry are out. In reality, this is just the beginning of what should be a long path to recovery. And that starts with each and every one of us.

Let’s put things into perspective. The cancer eating up this country did not start in 2013. It has been growing and gradually spreading across institutions for decades. The Labour government simply stopped any form of treatment and let the cancer fester. It took nepotism to unprecedented levels, with its laissez-faire attitude first enabling bullies to make hay while the sun shines and then let it trickle down to the ‘common’ voter. It gave the impression that laws are there to be broken provided we can make money at the expense of our neighbour, our environment...

Our opinion poll last week showed Labour would win a general election with an even bigger majority if it were held tomorrow. There are several reasons for that. Many are perfectly comfortable with the current set-up, many others believe the Nationalists will adopt the same ‘winning strategy’ and not be any better to fix the state of Malta.

So, in reality, the calls to hold a snap general election so that “we can turn over a new leaf” will not really solve anything. If anything, it will risk repeating the 2017 saga when Joseph Muscat used that election as a populistic rubber stamp to condone kleptocracy. Sins are not washed away with a popular vote.

Malta needs to embark on a soul-searching exercise which transcends clichés and vague promises. Some of the required changes can happen overnight. It should not take years to introduce new laws to ensure transparency and accountability in the relationship between government and big business, or to stop hate crime. It should not take months for police to start taking note of crimes flagged by the media. By today, the prime minister should openly acknowledge the crucial role of the media in a democracy and sit for the odd interview away from the comfort of the party media.

The more difficult changes are the cultural ones, the bad practices which have been passed on from one generation to another. A recent survey revealed that one in three in Malta admitted exploiting personal connections to get access to a public service in the last year alone. More than half said they fear retaliation if they reported corruption. While we might blame the size of the country for such attitudes, we should ask ourselves what each one of us can do to stop the decline or at least have no fear in calling out all that is wrong.

While the very nature of politics and democracy could be fertile ground for tense rivalry, tribalism in Malta appears to be getting more toxic. A cursory glance at social media platforms shows the extent of the division, with any semblance of critical discourse shouted out.

When that tribalism is ignored, or worse, incited by a government which shamelessly used taxpayers’ money to engage Glenn Bedingfield to troll and counter Daphne Caruana Galizia’s narrative, then it is no surprise that the stage was set to not only facilitate the murder of a journalist but to also try to cover it up. This cannot ever be repeated.