One of Malta’s most celebrated authors has spoken to his fellow citizens in this “dramatic and unprecedented moment for the country”.

Immanuel Mifsud, who became the first Maltese writer to win the European Union Prize for Literature and was awarded the Ġieħ ir-Reppublika in 2014, Mifsud had recently called for a new Maltese Republic to be formed as Malta finds itself gripped by a political crisis.

“We need to look at our institutions, including the political parties, and we need to see if they need to be changed,” Mifsud said.

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He said that in a new Maltese Republic, parties would not have an “incestuous” relationship with businesses.

Mifsud cited his Ġieħ ir-Repubblika, saying it gave him even more responsibility to be critical towards the Maltese state – and to speak out when need be.

He said now was the time for people to take control of their country’s future, and called on people to stand up, be counted, and do what’s best for the future of the nation.

Addressing Labourites, Mifsud said he understood that they’ve been throw into a “precarious” situation, having found themselves suddenly robbed of a future after all the faith and hope they had put into their party.

“I understand perfectly that a person feels betrayed, angry, and confused right now,” Mifsud said. “But it is now time for these people to rise up and see that in their party, there’s a need for resignations, and they need to happen now.

Mifsud also shared some thoughts with Nationalists, saying that “this is a moment that they need to take seriously for the future of their party”.

Amidst all the pain and chaos in the country, Mifsud took a moment to reflect on the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia, noting the “irony” that she had to pay with her life for Malta’s corrupt ways to be shown to the world. “The price was high, too high, and nothing will take away from the pain and sorrow that the Caruana Galizia family must be feeling,” Mifsud said.

He ended by saying Malta was at a “turning point”, and, just as it had done many times before in its history, he hoped the nation would find the strength to build the new Republic.

What do you think of Immanuel Mifsud’s call for a new Maltese Republic?