After a razor’s edge general election, the political demise of former Labour leader Alfred Sant, euro adoption and Schengen zone entry and social turmoil over utility rates – 2008 will certainly be a hard act for 2009 to follow.

But, considering the slew of potentially contentious issues already lined up for the 2009 repertoire, the new year now upon us should not pale in comparison to that now behind us.

As a taster of the fun in store over the coming 12 months, one only needs to consider that the public transport reform will begin entering its more controversial phases this year. After a tumultuous liberalisation of the hearse market, which brought many of Malta’s streets to a standstill for days, the government will now begin dealing with the more difficult public bus and taxi sectors.

The government will finally see the back of the Malta Shipyards, which will be passed into private hands. The long-pending rent reform will continue being debated, while the long-needed reform of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority could be expected within the year’s first half.

The bets are also out on whether the two primary political parties will begin a serious debate on introducing divorce to Malta next year.

On the political front, one-third of the country will go to the polls in a local council election – a worthy barometer of the country’s political sentiment and one which the governing party traditionally loses, unless it is riding a particularly high wave of optimism. The case should not be expected to be as such come March, when new Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat will see his first real popular test.

Malta will also go to the polls once again to elect its five members of the European Parliament, where the Nationalist Party will be seeking to heal the gaping wound, which still smarts to this day, of its defeat five years ago – just one month after it succeeded in bringing Malta into the European Union.

Although local council elections are usually held in March, as was the case in 2004, they could be expected to be held in tandem with the June pan-European MEP elections.

In the meantime, the crucial issues of party financing and electoral reform are also expected to gather steam over this coming year.

On the European Union front, the outgoing French presidency under Nicolas Sarkozy today makes way for the Czech Republic, which, in turn, will make way for Sweden on 1 July. It is hoped that the strong global EU leadership demonstrated under the French presidency, which dealt with the very thorny issues such as the EU’s response to climate change, migration and the global financial crisis amongst others, will be maintained over 2009.

The global financial meltdown and the ensuing international recession are expected to continue, and the ripple effect on Malta’s unemployment and inflation levels will need to be mitigated.

With many families now finally receiving their “new and improved” electricity bills over recent days, households will be reeling with shock and desperately seeking new ways of cutting down on their consumption patterns. It remains to be seen, however, to what extent Maltese households will take up the government’s “while stocks last” subsidies offered on solar water heaters, photovoltaic cell systems, roof insulation and double glazing.

Consumers will also be braced for the workings of the new sewage tax announced by the government, which is expected to be introduced by the end of 2009.

Two major capital projects – the offshore wind farm and the City Gate/opera house projects – are also expected to get off the ground over the coming year.

Come spring, the issue of hunting will be brought to the fore once again since the European Court of Justice case against Malta’s past opening of the spring season is not expected to be concluded for at least another year.

All in all, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey, only 23 per cent of Maltese felt their lives would actually improve over the next year, while 24 per cent felt their lives would become worse while concerns over the economy and job creation remained somewhat higher than European averages.

Let us hope such pessimism is unfounded.