Everyone will have personal memories for the year that has just ended.

For many, it was a year to remember for positive occurrences, such as the birth of a child, moving into a new home, getting a new job, graduating from university or a million other kinds of achievement reached.

Others will look back with sorrow; again, a myriad of reasons, such as the death of a loved one, unattained targets, a bad experience, a health issue.

For most, 2022 contained a mixture of fortunes. Some will see their glass as having been half-full, others will be more pessimistic.

On the international front, 2022 saw the start of the war in Ukraine, which apart from bringing so much devastation, pain and suffering, has also had an effect on the rising inflation, not only in Europe. Malta has been greatly affected by this too, although the government has so far chosen to carry the burden of the rise in the cost of energy. The death of Queen Elizabeth after she had celebrated 70 years as monarch is another painful memory of the year.

In Malta, 2022 will remain in the annals of history as the year in which the Labour Party won its third general election in a row, again in record numbers. This time, it was Robert Abela who led them to victory. The Nationalist Party retained its leader, Bernard Grech, in spite of the defeat.

It was also the year in which the Labour government pushed forward the idea of legalising abortion when the mother’s health is in danger. Parliament is still in time to change the wording of the law to make it clear; but one has to see what the government’s real intentions are. As things stand, the PL is still adamant in its stand. It says that abortion is not on the agenda, but the provision that was debated in the House before it rose for the Christmas recess pointed in that direction. We hope that the government will have a change of heart when the debate continues.

Not much was done, by the government, to take Malta out of the spiral of corruption that has been making the headlines for a decade. Stories that started some years ago are still very much under the microscope, as justice is still far from being made. The culture of impunity is still prevalent.

The greylisting imposed on Malta by the Financial Action Task Force was lifted in June after “significant progress” was registered in the way the country addressed its anti-money laundering and terrorist financing deficiencies.

But the battle is far from being over.

The work of some of the country’s institutions, including the police and the Attorney General’s office, still leaves so much to be desired. Investigations are taking years to complete, with the risk that by the time people are supposed to be charged with wrongdoing, their offences would be time-barred. Reports compiled in magisterial inquiries are not followed up as they should be.

The government, then, seems reluctant to allow the institutions that were functioning properly to do their job. We are still without an official ombudsman, with incumbent Anthony Mifsud staying on ad interim although his term expired in March 2021, a situation which Mifsud himself described as creating uncertainty and demotivation.

The office of the Standards Commissioner is in an even worse state, as it has no chief after George Hyzler was removed a year before his term expired to be named as Malta’s representative on the European Court of Auditors. Both offices have kept the government in check in the past years, and the government’s procrastination on the matter is worrying.

This festive season has seen a welcome return to what we were all used to before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. Restaurants were in full swing and hotels are once again operating at full capacity as the tourism industry strongly jumped back, getting close to the 2019 numbers.

But it would be wrong to assume that the pandemic is over. The resurgence of the virus has prompted countries such as the Unites States, Italy and Japan to impose the testing of individuals arriving from China. Malta has so far remained silent on the matter, and the European Union has not followed Italy’s lead. We await other developments but what is sure is that we cannot let our guard down.

As we report extensively in this issue, 2022 has also been a tragic year in more ways than one. There were 26 road fatalities, eight murders and eight deaths on construction sites. Big numbers indeed; and we all hope that the year which has just started will be less tragic.

Speaking of construction, 2022 was another year which saw even more development. The power of private entrepreneurs is still too strong in Malta. Opposition to over-development is thankfully growing too, and we salute those NGOs who continue to make their voices heard in spite of their limitations and lack of resources. They should be given all the support they need to keep up their fight against greed.

Everyone has a part to play. We should all be giving our best. Let’s make 2023 a year with better memories.

The Malta Independent on Sunday wishes all its readers a splendid year.