Malta’s Mask of Silence: Time to Speak Out

Imagine strolling down Republic Street, the sun casting a warm glow on the historic buildings of Valletta. You pass by the usual bustle – tourists snapping photos, locals hurrying to work, street vendors hawking their wares. But there’s an unusual silence, a collective holding of breath. Why? Because everyone’s waiting. Waiting for the mask to slip, the secret to be revealed, the truth to be spoken. But it never comes. Not today. Not tomorrow. Because in Malta, there’s a mask we refuse to remove.

Malta, a nation of just over 500,000 people, has a reputation for being close-knit, family-oriented, and fiercely proud of its culture and history. But scratch the surface, and you’ll find a different story. A story of silence, of secrets buried deep, of truths left unspoken. This is the mask we refuse to remove – the mask of silence that pervades our society, shaping our culture, our politics, our very way of life.

Take, for instance, the case of Daphne Caruana Galizia. A journalist known for her relentless pursuit of truth, she was silenced by a car bomb in 2017. Her murder through the country, yet it also exposed the deep-seated culture of silence. Despite widespread outrage, many remained silent, afraid to speak out, afraid to rock the boat. This is the mask we refuse to remove – the fear of speaking out, of challenging the status quo, of demanding change.

Malta’s reputation as a haven for corruption is no secret. Transparency International ranks us low on its Corruption Perceptions Index. Yet, we turn a blind eye, we look the other way, we remain silent. We refuse to remove the mask, to expose the rotten core. We see it in our politics, in our business dealings, in our daily lives. But we do nothing. Why? Because it’s easier to keep the mask on, to pretend everything’s fine, to maintain the status quo.

Consider the recent revelations about the sale of Maltese passports. The ‘golden passport’ scheme, exposed by the Daphne Project, showed how Maltese citizenship was sold to the highest bidder, regardless of their background or intentions. Yet, it took a foreign investigation to bring this to light. Where were our own voices, our own investigations? Hidden behind the mask, that’s where.

Mental health is another taboo subject in Malta. We prefer to sweep it under the rug, to pretend it doesn’t exist. We refuse to remove the mask, to acknowledge the pain and suffering of those around us. According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. In Malta, the numbers are likely similar, if not higher. Yet, we remain silent, we remain judgmental, we remain ignorant.

Take the case of Matthew Grech. A young man who took his own life in 2019, his family spoke out about the lack of mental health services in Malta. Yet, their cries for help fell on deaf ears. The mask remained firmly in place, the silence deafening. It’s high time we remove this mask, high time we start talking about mental health, high time we start caring.

So, what can we do? We can start by speaking out. We can start by challenging the status quo, by demanding change, by refusing to be silent. We can start by removing the mask, one layer at a time. We can start by being brave, by being honest, by being true to ourselves and to our country.

As the late Daphne Caruana Galizia once said, “There are no two ways about being a journalist. Either you stand for justice, or you stand for injustice. There is no middle ground.” It’s time we stand for justice, time we stand for truth, time we stand for change. It’s time we remove the mask.