Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1440009
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 2 JANUARY 2022 NEWS 21. Formula 1's big US return For the first time since 1984, the Formula 1 championship in 2022 will include two races in the US – Miami, Florida and Austin, Texas. The nail biting contest last year between Max Verstap- pen and Louis Hamilton and the Netflix series Drive To Survive have seen American interest in Formula 1 shoot up, in line with the rest of the world. This is not expected to wane in 2022. 22. Festa time… sort of For two years, traditional village festas have had to be postponed because of the pandemic and 2022 may just see a subdued version return to the streets. Much will depend on how the pandemic develops. An integral part of Maltese social life, a third year without feasts will lead to widespread frustration and an- ger among enthusiasts. GEORGE VITAL ZAMMIT AN election year, as 2022 will be, is by default, always a year of hopes and expectations. The new year should confirm some current pat- terns but should also bring about much need- ed changes. The years 2020 and 2021 were mired in confusion brought about by COVID-19, a pandemic that spared no country, but which tested governments in unprecedented ways. Malta fared well. Like historical episodes that tested our nation, Malta rose to the occasion, both with policies implemented, and their respective public responses. The capital outlay was significant and for 2022, debt as a proportion of the Gross Domestic Product is projected at 62.4%. The new year will be a year of reckoning in terms of how we live with the pandemic as from now on. Now that vaccination and a booster programme have been rolled out, we need to establish a modus-operandi that will sustain a society that co-exists with a constant peril. Whilst science reacts to the various mutations and variations, all policy sectors (such as education, economy and finance, health, tourism, transport) need to plan and build sustainable permanent structures that co-exist with the pandemic. It will be crucial for Malta, to absorb effec- tively the €320 million in EU financing out of the Recovery and Resilience Facility. The onslaught of the pandemic cannot be a distraction from other important matters. Surveys have repeatedly demonstrated that the Labour Party enjoys a comfortable lead to secure another mandate at the polls. It would be a terrible mistake for the PL to interpret a favourable outcome in the next plebiscite as a signal to postpone or ignore the urgent actions that need to be taken. 2022 has to be the year that gives Malta a clean bill of health and restores its interna- tional reputation. The economic forecast for 2022 is that a hike in the price of im- ports will lead to an inflation that will strain consumer spending. Malta cannot afford a flight of enterprises from its financial and gaming in- d u s t r i e s due to its grey listing – the spill- over would be devas- tating. 2 0 2 2 needs to be a deci- sive year for good governance and the rule of law. Empty rhetoric needs to make way for concrete action. That a few individuals are beyond legal reproach makes a com- plete mockery of our institutions. The pub- lic designation of Konrad Mizzi and Keith Schembri by the Department of State (USA) due to "involvement in significant corrup- tion" is another blow to the credibility of our police and justice system. Equally wor- rying is the fact that multi-million-euro contracts entered into by these two former public officials remain in place, despite se- rious shortcomings flagged by our National Audit Office. Malta's economic prosperity cannot be taken for granted. Confidence, business flair and a can-do mentality, are key for commercial enterprise to grow and create wealth. However, Malta needs to reassert a paradigm of sustainable development, where planning and environment are truly addressed. The regulatory capture of the Planning Authority needs to be curtailed, and a new political direction given. Malta will be facing significant challenges in its social sphere. Our widening middle class has led to a widening bracket between low-to-middle and middle-to-high income earners. Poverty has taken new facets, with more people resorting to assistance pro- grammes. Mental health, the new cannabis legislation, early school leaving, and a raft of other social interventions, will require new thinking and careful policy design. 2022 will be much more than election year. The buck cannot stop with the election Public policy lecturer and TV presenter