2019 has been a turbulent year, with one major event after another.
The year has seen internal dispute within the Nationalist Party which has now seemingly died down, a PN Leader who was unable to improve his image with the electorate, migrant protests at the detention centre, environmental scandals involving the chopping of trees to make way for roads, a European election which saw the Labour Party win a strong majority... and more importantly the rise of civil society activism and the downfall of a Prime Minister.
The events leading up to Muscat's announced resignation however cannot be seen in a bubble. Civil activism in Malta has been growing over the past years. One can remember the protests organised prior to the 2017 General Election, although those were more organised by politicians than activists themselves.
The environment and development have always been subjects that drew controversy, and protests on such issues have happened in the past, one can mention the Manoel Island project protests, the sheer number of written objections to major projects like that of the db Group, objections to the proposed Corinthia development, Moviment Graffitti's actions and disruptions of Planning Authority sessions regarding fuel stations, a protest against the Central Link project... the list goes on.
But civil society activism in its current form was sparked by the assassination of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, a tragedy that has resulted in widespread repercussions. Indeed marches in her memory and calling for justice to be served began right of the bat, but then slowed for a while, with a core group of activists beating the drums on behalf of many others.
Then the bombshell dropped, the arrest of Yorgen Fenech. To understand what came next however, one must look back, to when Joseph Muscat refused to get rid of Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri - even though 17 Black was listed as a target client of their Panama companies. 17 Black was then revealed to belong to Yorgen Fenech, before he was charged with the murder of Caruana Galizia.
Indeed however, the constant corruption scandals on the island, beginning with Café Premier, continuing to the Gaffarena scandal, the Electrogas deal, Brothelgate, the hospital sales, the visa scandals... these issues all festered for so long that boiling point was inevitable. Muscat describes himself as a man of action... what action?
And here we sit, Christmas past and just days away from 2020, our very own Prime Minister accused of receiving expensive gifts from a man charged in connection with the murder, protests set to resume on the 5th, lack of trust in the police, and a PL Leadership race which needs to produce leader who would really be a man of the correct action, remove elements whose scandals have tainted the country, and strengthen the institutions rather that centralising all power within the Office of the Prime Minister.