A year has passed since Labour was voted into power with a historic, landslide victory.

Joseph Muscat was elected on the strength of a campaign that promised to change things for the better after 15 years of Nationalist governments.

It is time to take stock of the more important issues that have come up in the last 365 days.

Meritocracy

The Labour Party promised meritocracy and doing away with the jobs for the boys’ mentality. Zero points on that particular score.

It is understood that the government surrounds itself with trusted people who are able to carry out its policies. But Labour has gone beyond normality.

It has invented positions just to be able to accommodate all those who gave it a helping hand in the election campaign. It has set up posts specifically targeted to add some extra income to people who are close to it or appeared on billboards. It has created the largest Cabinet ever and subsequently opened up avenues for diehard supporters, including Super One journalists, to take up government jobs.

All this was done at the expense of the taxpayer, and it’s costing us many more millions of euros every year.

Citizenship scheme

It was the worst mistake of the first year.

It was a mistake in concept, because a country should not sell its citizenship.

Secondly, the way the government handled it was outrageously amateurish. That the scheme ended up being altered – till now – four times gives a clear indication that the planning stage was not given too much thought.

The scheme put Malta in the international spotlight for the wrong reasons and humiliated the country – 90% of European Parliament members voted against it.

The government says that it listens, but it did not listen to what the Maltese were saying against the scheme. It only considered changes after international pressure was exerted on Malta.

In principle, however, selling passports is just not on.

Migration

What happened in July when the government decided to push back migrants who had arrived by boat is a black spot. The tragedy that occurred in October – about which the whole truth has not come out – was another.

Late last year, Joseph Muscat promised that he would come back from Brussels with something more than just words in terms of support from the European Union on the migration phenomenon.

We’re still waiting.

Breach of privilege

The breach of privilege complaint that the Prime Minister raised against the Leader of the Opposition smacks of an attempt by the head of government to stifle his political adversary.

What Simon Busuttil said about the John Dalli case in Parliament and outside is a political consideration of how things developed. Dr Muscat’s decision to put Dr Busuttil on trial is an attack against democracy and freedom of expression.

Justice reform

The government has made the justice reform one of its priorities, and only last week we had the announcement that some new measures will be introduced soon.

This is one of the areas in which the government has made progress without creating too much controversy. It was known that the sector needed a revamp, and everyone will win if the reform succeeds.

On the other hand, the government procrastinated on the impeachment motion against Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco, protecting a judge who according to the Commission for the Administration of Justice should not have stayed on as president of the Maltese Olympic Committee while holding office.

Tourism success

The numbers continue to rise as the tourism industry remains the mainstay of the Maltese economy.

Labour found an industry that is thriving, and did the right thing by just leaving things as they were.

Energy

Another case of a government that does not listen.

The government plans to have a floating gas tanker in the middle of Marsaxlokk Bay, much to the chagrin of residents. Ninety per cent of them said they do not want it there, and feel “betrayed and used”, as some wrote in an open letter to the Prime Minister.

The government has other ways to go about with its plan to reduce electricity rates, a promise that will be fulfilled at the end of this month. But it has chosen the most dangerous one.

Smart meter scandal

The government has failed miserably on this one.

It pledged to fight corruption, but at the first opportunity to show that it means business, it opted not to charge consumers involved in the bribery scandal. What is worse is that, as a police inspector testified in court, it was a political decision, not one that was taken by the investigators.

The message the government sent was that people who commit an offence can get away with it.

Police

The credibility of the police force is under threat. What with officers serving as waiters and political interference, people are losing trust in the force.

Presidency

Consultation was another promise made before the election, but on this issue the Prime Minister failed badly when he chose to let the Opposition leader know about his decision when it was already a fait accompli, and just 30 minutes before making it official. It was a most insulting gesture and lack of respect towards his main political opponent.

I also have strong reservations about the role the presidency will be given. That role is entrenched in the Constitution and playing with it is sheer arrogance.

Employment

The number of unemployed continues to rise, month after month. The government has yet to come up with a strategy to generate jobs to replace those that are lost.

Health

Labour promised a magic wand that would eliminate delays and keeping patients in hospital corridors. But it has not worked. The installation of a tent outside the outpatients department and its dismantling a few hours later is the joke of Labour’s first year.

But Labour has one fundamental thing in its favour – it sells itself well. Even when it commits shocking mistakes, it manages to turn things around in its favour. It has a marketing machine that brings out the best while strongly mitigating the negative effects.

In other words, it is all hat and no cattle.

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