What will the first year of the new legislature be remembered for? Will it be the international economic and financial crisis and the resulting recession? Or will we simply remember the tension and subsequent lull that ensued following the general election? Could we point a finger at the rise in the price of oil and the revision of the water and electricity tariffs? Or the number of times we have been asked to give an opinion during the plethora of consultation processes embarked upon by the government?

The truth is that the first year of the new legislature seems to have passed much quicker than previous years. It’s almost impossible to sit down and say that a full year has passed since the general election took place.

And what a year it has been!

Just looking at the main issues that have been raised and discussed, as well as the challenges we have faced as a nation, is enough to appreciate how much we’ve been through. The biggest test we have faced is undoubtedly that of dealing with the waves of an unstable international economic environment. The government has had to contend with haphazard shifts and jolts in oil prices, with water and electricity tariffs hitting where it hurts most – the scared consumer’s pocket.

As if that was not enough, an impending global recession threatens our country with job losses and a hefty reduction in the number of incoming tourists. Top that with the sale of Malta Shipyards and the impact that the early retirement schemes had on the government’s deficit targets, and we suddenly seem to have painted quite a bleak picture of what we’ve been through and where we are at the moment.

The only catch in all this is that while so many strong nations have gone under, we have managed to keep our head above the water. And while so many indicators sway precariously, the government is also in a position to present the hard facts, which are anything but negative. Tourism has experienced a record year, both in terms of our traditional core markets and especially the surging cruise liner sector. No less that 7,000 new jobs have been created and almost 12,000 requests have been made by employers seeking staff through the Employment and Training Corporation (ETC).

And while on the subject of jobs, it’s pertinent to stop and reflect on the three pillars the government has firmly anchored itself to – work, education and the environment. If we were to base our assessment of the first year of the new legislature on these three building blocks, then the first year was undoubtedly a positive continuation from the previous legislature. Apart from the results that were achieved in terms of job creation, the government must also be commended for averting jobs losses, as in the case of Methode Electronics, which has announced it will invest e6.5 million in Malta after striking an agreement with the government. By remaining vigilant, and by focusing this year’s Budget on a strong investment programme, the government has managed to create the right foundations to weather the recession storm.

The same can be said for education and the environment. In the education sector the figures speak for themselves: three new childcare centres, 29 fully-refurbished schools, a new Secondary School built at Verdala and another three in the pipeline in Mosta, Pembroke and Gozo.

In the environment field, the government has managed to interlink policy priorities with tangible incentives. By setting targets for better waste management and the reduction of Malta’s greenhouse gas emissions, the government has shown itself to be sensitive to climate change. But the greatest asset it holds is its capability to provide new schemes to help promote these targets, such as the Switch Energy Efficiency Campaign and the schemes introduced to offer financial assistance to people switching to solar water heaters, photovoltaic systems et al.

On balance, therefore, the best way to review this year is by placing it within the context of the challenges we face. Has the government got its priorities right, and will it manage to ease the burdens of the man in the street over the coming years through the choices it makes? We’ve all got high hopes.

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