It is indeed a fact that this country is moving from strength to strength. This week again we had European certification that the financial surplus registered during 2017 was the highest among all EU states, noting also that the country’s long-standing national debt continued to decrease last year.
Other positive results show that the number of people registering for work in December stood at 2,167, down by 25.6 per cent when compared to December 2016. The reduction was in all age groups, with the largest fall recorded among people who had been registering for less than 21 weeks.
The number of people with a disability who were registering for work also fell, compared to the previous year. Having served the country in the disability sector during the previous legislature, it is most satisfying to me personally that 3,499 people with disability were employed in Malta and Gozo as at November 2017, according to information tabled in Parliament by Employment Minister Evarist Bartolo. A total of 649 people with disability had found employment during 2017 up to November. One cannot but recall that the total number of people with disability who were in employment back in 2013 stood at only 1,797 – a number that has risen each year, through the various measures and incentives introduced since 2013.
House debates
During two parliamentary debates this week I had the opportunity to give an account, albeit brief, of the Gozo Ministry’s performance during the seven months since my appointment last June. Thousands of Gozitans and visitors have seen the hard work being done by the Ministry’s team in various sectors, such as infrastructure, culture and tourist-related initiatives. With facts and figures to hand, it is still my duty to give further details of how taxpayers’ money is being spent for the well-being of Gozitan families and businesses through the upkeep and upgrading of the Island’s rich environmental and cultural heritage.
Official statistics keep pouring in and this week we have learned that, according to the National Statistics Office, a total of 2,858 cruise-liner passengers visited Gozo during the last quarter of 2017, an increase of 67.4 per cent over the same period in 2016 when the figure stood at 1,707. Total cruise passenger traffic in Malta and Gozo during the fourth quarter of 2017 amounted to 187,280, an increase of 5.5 per cent over 2016. In 2017, the number of cruise passengers visiting Malta and Gozo stood at 670,135, a rise of seven per cent over 2016.
It is also encouraging to note that, over the Christmas period, 464,837 passengers and 141,921 vehicles crossed over to Gozo, showing an increase of six per cent and four per cent respectively. Hotel occupancy for the same period was 65 per cent, which is much higher than the usual average during the winter months. Further statistics show that bed-nights in Gozo’s hotels reached 1,108,432 between January and October last year, a 70,000 increase for the same period in 2016.
This is confirmation that the new initiatives on the part of the Gozo Ministry in organising additional cultural mass and special niche events, together with service upgrades in the hospitality sector, are achieving attractive results. It is with such facts in hand that I spoke in Parliament this week when I publicly thanked the entire workforce at the Gozo Ministry who have given me their full cooperation in moving ahead towards further major projects in the coming months.
More national firsts
Together with my colleagues in the Labour cabinet, this week I welcomed the ‘LGBTQI Inclusive Education Report’ carried out by the International LGBTQI Youth and Students Organisation, which has ranked Malta first among Council of Europe countries when it comes to providing inclusive education.
This first edition of the report, which aims to assess the topic of education and, specifically, discrimination on the basis of gender within Council of Europe countries, shows that Malta is performing exceptionally well in the vast majority of the indicators that measure how homophobic, biphobic, transphobic and interphobic situations and bullying are tackled in schools.
Malta scored full marks in nine of the 10 indicators of the report, which range from anti-discrimination law applicable to education, inclusive national curricula, support systems, policies, action plans and guidelines, mandatory teacher-training on LGBTIQ awareness and partnerships between governments and NGOs, as well as international commitment.
In explaining why Malta scored full marks in the provision of anti-discrimination law applicable to education, the report makes reference to amendments to the Constitution of Malta in 2016 that made any discriminatory provisions in Maltese law unconstitutional; the 2017 amendments in the Education Act which provided equal access to education to all people in full respect of any diversity and obliged state schools to ensure that the principles of inclusive education are implemented and the Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act, which placed a fundamental obligation on schools to provide all students with a safe and inclusive educational environment.
The report also praised the policy to Address Bullying Behaviour in Schools, and the policy for Trans, Gender Variant and Intersex Students in Schools, which provide specific procedures and strategies, as good practices which further safeguard inclusiveness. The Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act and the Trans, Gender Variant and Intersex Students in Schools Policy were also highlighted when assessing the environment in state schools and how topics such as the use of inclusive language or the right of the students to disclose their gender are addressed.
I join my esteemed colleague Minister Helena Dalli in proudly noting that this was yet another seal of approval by an international organisation for the work carried out by the government in the fields of equality and inclusiveness.
Valentine’s Day events in Gozo
In my quest to add further attractions that secure Gozo as a distinct year-round destination, the Gozo Ministry continues to increase the number of themed festivals, with the first such festival of the year being organised around the popular Valentine’s Day. Between 3 and 18 February, the popular gardens of Villa Rundle will present a different image, with the theme of love being showcased in their tranquil and serene setting. They will host a market for craft products related to the occasion, while in the main squares of Victoria there will be public entertainment by well-known artists.
In the Citadel Cultural Centre, students attending the Visual & Performing Arts School of Gozo will be mounting an exhibition related to the day of love – entitled ‘Lilek Inħobb’ (You are the one I love), together with a collective art exhibition by various artists: Ħabbejtek (I loved you). Through such activities, the Gozo Ministry, together with voluntary organisations and commercial entities, will be creating events that will benefit not just commercial establishments but also other organisations and will entertain everyone who visits Gozo. As it happens, Carnival this year falls on the second weekend of February and the Valentine’s Day events should blend well with the various festivities that traditionally attract thousands to the island.
Looking back on the past week, my account in Parliament of the Ministry’s performance, future plans and work in progress, together with the successful completion of major projects by other Ministries on a national level, are the best reply to critics who attempt to tarnish our national resilience and success. Some people need to learn that being chronically hungry for power can only lead them from disarray to self-destruction.