The sweeping electoral victory of 2022 was largely foreseen by statistician Vincent Marmara. Many rejoiced thinking the island will now sail along rivers of milk and honey promised by the red torch-bearing brigade. But the honeymoon period has ended - even the bride's lipstick has long since faded.
Almost three years since the Grey List was lifted, the show must go on and party apologists want us to thank heavens for little mercies. But reality grinds on. Police confirmed receiving multiple reports of vandalised vehicles in Valletta and said investigations are ongoing.
But rescue is at hand since this week, eight Italian police officers will be assisting local police officers on patrols of Paceville and other tourist areas for the next month. Paceville has long faced concerns that the area has become increasingly unsafe, with perceptions rife that the clubbing district has witnessed an increase in the prevalence of anti-social behaviour. The Italian officers selected for this operation come from various operational units across Italy.
The Italian officers will be focused on maintaining public order and assisting Italian nationals, with most patrols taking place in tourist areas, mainly St Julian's and Valletta. Pity no Italian officers are to be stationed at the rowdy Comino Bay.
Again, no apology from the energy minister for regular power cuts but she gladly announced that three applications were received for building and commissioning an offshore renewable electricity generation project. The project will involve the design, construction, operation, and eventual decommissioning of a wind farm located beyond Malta's territorial waters, within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
This comes with an expected installed capacity of around 300MW. The project will also include the operation and maintenance of an offshore substation and export cable system, which will remain government owned. The electricity generated will be fed into Malta's national high-voltage distribution grid. No mention was made in the ministerial notice about the possibility of using excess energy to generate hydrogen by electrolysis.
The recently-appointed InterConnect Malta, a government company, is also working on detailing the technical and financial criteria that will be shared with candidates that successfully pass this stage and opt to move forward. All augurs well when the project, which started five years ago with the issue of a call, is now reaching crawling speed. Yet, the minister's triumphant propaganda will not mask the sheer reality that various localities are being regularly shut out in the middle of a heatwave.
Some readers might wonder why we remain so focused on the local energy crisis, especially when Castille has raised expectations for a brighter future through Vision 2050. This is a comprehensive, citizen-focused roadmap built around core principles that would be uncontroversial in any functioning democracy - the supremacy of the rule of law, transparent governance, media independence and civic participation.
A document issued by NGO Repubblika states boldly that there should be an overhaul of all institutions including stronger regulatory bodies, enhanced judicial independence, and the total removal of political parties from media ownership. It proposes real accountability in prosecutions, an improved role for local councils. Others suggested a cleaner administration, less cronyism and a ban on the issue of direct orders to well-connected party loyalists. In a country where self-evident abuse is daily buried under layers of spin, partisan loyalty and deliberate denial, simply speaking the truth becomes an act of civic courage.
Another headache is the shortage of skilled workforce which has been camouflaged by importation of thousands of third country unskilled workers headed by powerful licensed agents. A scandal broke out that such agents are charging double minimum wage rates to government companies while low-paid workers struggled to survive on minimum wage and still managed to send money back home. Times of Malta reported how foreign workers are paying up to €250 a month each to share a single apartment in Sliema with around 40 other people in cramped and unsanitary conditions.
The increase in the number of TCNs implies that sharing arrangements are also changing as co-sharing has always been common with foreign workers. The Housing Authority issued a report on the housing problem and some of its conclusions implicate that part of the problem can be due to discrimination, which results in lower access to housing and segregation.
The report concluded that these gaps need to be addressed, and noted that the Housing Authority is currently exploring ways to revise the regulations so they align with the evolving needs and realities of the housing market. The Housing Authority has introduced several schemes intended to provide rental assistance to low-income households, assist in homeownership or to support their purchasing power, which also gives us a glimpse into the categories that are more prone to face housing affordability difficulties. Naturally the advent of a vast cohort of low-income TCNs has acerbated demographic issues.
Picture this: around 100,000 Third Country Nationals - roughly one in six people on the island - zipping through streets on scooters delivering fast food, operating the fleet of 550 buses, cleaning streets, working on construction sites, assisting in hospitals, and serving meals in the majority of hotels and bustling restaurants. But hold your horses as PM Robert Abela calmed the party faithful by saying "this is why it is so important to have a government that knows what it is doing, that has the experience, and the proven track record where it counts". Contemplate how Fitch Ratings has affirmed Malta's Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR) at A+ with a Stable Outlook.
This sounds so surreal when overtourism is now a grim reality. The island is enjoying a bumper tourist season, which some predict may reach up to 4 million visitors of low-paying type. Overtourism is driven in part by the powerful hotel and restaurant lobby which resists the call to charge visitors an extra charge (at present visitors only pay €0.50 daily).
George M. Mangion is a senior partner in PKFMalta an audit and business advisory firm
gmm@pkfmalta.com