2010 was a very strange year for Malta. You can’t quite put your finger on it, but we feel that we have identified the source.
In 2009, the world was plunged into economic chaos and everyone is still feeling the effects. Street protests, violence, bombs, austerity measures, countries almost bankrupt, the euro almost failing… we saw it all.
Yet it was only in 2010 that Maltese people began to feel the effects of it and it is indeed strange. We only had a small blip in the recession and we returned to growth quite quickly. But the people are frustrated and angry; and we think we know why.
In 2009, even in Malta we were worried stiff. We always say Malta is unique and sometimes things affect us differently here (due to size, shape, creed etc) and it is indeed true. In 2009 everyone was petrified. We thought that tiny Malta would be ruined by the crisis – from the PM, right the way down to the man in the street.
2009 went by and 2010 came in. We returned to growth, investment continued to pour in, more tourists came… so why are we so damn well frustrated?
Well, the answer is quite simple. It is only beginning to dawn on us now; we did not fare as badly as we thought we would, yet we have seen some of the biggest government botch-ups in recent history. We have been slapped with huge utility bills which we cannot pay because the company that processes them is inept, badly set up, archaic and downright inefficient (and it is no coincidence that we have had no bills over Christmas).
The government has been insensitive on so many fronts. Nothing will annoy people more than burying one’s head in the sand. The government did not want to listen to people on the Valletta project, BWSC, black dust and divorce; just to name a few. Then, to top it all off, just when we are near flare-up point, the government awards all MPs whopping pay increases and it really does make you wonder which planet it has been on.
The Labour Party, meanwhile, has done nothing to prove that it has credible solutions to the problems we have mentioned. Sitting on the fence and keeping out of trouble with the electorate is not politics.
Fireworks factories blew up like there was no tomorrow and the nation was split between being consumed with grief and outrage, calling for bans on the tradition. Whole families were wiped out in traffic accidents and our driving skills and roads are nowhere near an acceptable standard. We also saw an increase in serious crime. Although the police have done a sterling job in investigating various crimes (and we thank them for it), there are other crimes which have not been solved. The nation needs to re-examine its social fabric and find out what is leading to the many problems which we see around us today. Rampant drug use, foreign party girls stripping and touching for cash, alcoholism, lack of divorce, imposition and interference from the courts in long-drawn out separation proceedings… these are all issues which we need to address.
It has just been a terribly frustrating year and most seem to be glad to see the back of it. To end on positive notes, we will touch on the areas which brought some respite. We have already mentioned our recovering economy and investment. But there was also the record tourist arrival figure, the long-awaited public transport rollout, our reputation in Brussels, the massive Strina effort, Tiffany Pisani, our slowly improving surroundings and, on a global level, recovery.
We also spare a sentence for the national unity that was shown in an outpouring of grief due to the passing of former President Guido de Marco; it already seems so long ago – let us look at it in this positive light.
From a publishing house’s point of view, we also rolled out our new jazzy daily. It was a lot of hard work, and it still is. But we are sure that you, our old guard readership, and our new followers like it. We will continue to improve it in the year to come. With this, we thank everyone for their support and we wish you all a happy, prosperous and peaceful 2011.