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2 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 DECEMBER 2023 Looking back 2023 Architecture & Design | 1 & ARCHITECTURE DESIGN ISSUE NO. 11 | DECEMBER 2023 AD DECEMBER 2023 1 AD DECEMBER 2023 1 17/12/2023 20:58 17/12/2023 20:58 Architecture & Design magazine Architecture & Design showcases the very best work in architecture and design and acts as a platform for debate and discussion of the issues that matter to the building industry BE SURE TO COLLECT YOUR FREE COPY WITH MALTATODAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Regular surveys carried out by Mal- taToday have shown how more and more voters are joining the ranks of Malta's third largest grouping – the non-voters. And the numbers have swelled also thanks to Labour voters disenchanted by the party in govern- ment. There are myriad reasons why more people are saying they will park their vote rather than cast it for a political party but at the root of it is the squeeze on family and personal budgets caused by inflation. Consumers in Malta may be shielded from the higher energy and fuel pric- es witnessed in other EU countries, but this has not prevented significant price increases elsewhere. Food prices continued their upward trend in 2023, causing significant pressure on single income households and pensioners. But middle-income earners also struggled to maintain their average lifestyle with official statistics showing that to compensate for the loss of dis- posable income many more opted for part-time work alongside their full- time job. Irrespective of the multi-million-eu- ro subsidies to maintain energy and fuel prices stable; irrespective of the macro-economic headline figures that place Malta among the best in the EU; the pain of inflation has created a growing sense of hopelessness. Although there is little the govern- ment can do to counter imported in- flation other than subsidising energy and fuels the way it is doing, hopeless- ness can easily turn into anger in the face of corruption scandals, the squan- dering of public funds and political hard-headedness. And 2023 was no exception. The driving licence scandal, the severe dis- ability benefit fraud scandal, Rosianne Cutajar's phantom job with the tour- ism school, and the cancellation of the hospitals contract with Steward, which the Appeals Court said was the result of collusion between govern- ment officials and the concessionaire, contributed to the discontent. Scan- dals like these start rubbing people the wrong way when their lifestyles start getting compromised. The epitome of 2023 was when the grieving parents of Jean Paul Sofia confronted the Prime Minister and government MPs inside parliament over their reluctance to accept a public inquiry into their son's death. It was a David and Goliath moment that shook the nation; when otherwise government-friendly voices dropped their guard and expressed solidarity with the grieving parents as Labour MPs exited parliament red in the face. And yet, despite the discontent, the Opposition failed to make substantial inroads. This is an indication that vot- ers still do not see the Opposition as a suitable alternative government. But in 2023 more and more people joined the ranks of those criticising government's policy to sustain eco- nomic growth by importing foreign workers. From backlash against erratic driv- ing by Y-plate cabs, to complaints on foreigners offering essential services without being able to communicate well and others living in overcrowd- ed apartments thus causing nuisance to neighbours, the criticism was con- stant. It boiled over in July when dur- ing a 10-day heatwave, the electricity distribution network failed because of old infrastructure and its inability to cope with growing demand. The discontent with living in an overcrowded and rapidly changing country was palpable even if at times the discourse bordered on xenopho- bia and racism. The Nationalist Party flirted with riding on the xenophobic band wagon as it made foreign work- ers a key plank of its agenda. Government was forced to act. New stricter rules to curb the influx of non- EU cab drivers were introduced; the law was changed to limit the number of non-family members who could live together in a rented dwelling; a new law was floated to regulate tem- ping agencies, making them account- able for their actions when bringing non-EU nationals to work in Malta. A substantially higher investment in the electricity distribution network was al- so announced. Whether these actions will be enough to satiate a jittery electorate remains to be seen but the only sure thing is that in its current state, the Maltese economy will have problems if the doors are closed shut to foreign labour. Amid this doom and gloom 2023 al- so had its share of positive stories. Membership of the UN Security Council gave Malta a bigger interna- tional voice. The quiet diplomacy re- sulted in Malta breaking the deadlock at the UNSC on a resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in Gaza. Mal- ta's ability to act as an honest broker was noticed and the country ended up landing the presidency of the OSCE. The national women's football team managed to secure promotion to Group B in the Nations League after an impressive run, making the nation proud. Malta also topped the medals table for the first time in the Games for the Small States of Europe and in the cultural field, the traditional Maltese festa achieved UNESCO recognition, crowning the dedication of thousands of volunteers whose hard work to bring our communities alive in cele- bration is often underappreciated. These moments of joy offered glim- mers of hope in an otherwise glum year characterised by the pain of infla- tion and a general sense of despond- ency. At the cusp of a new year, many have come to realise the good years are over and it's going to be a hard slog in the face of international uncertainty. It is with this in mind that we look back at 2023 and baptise it the Year of Discontent. FOR Robert Abela, the prime minister whose style of decision-making can often venture into tricky waters, 2023 was a big reminder of the power of the people. It has not been the first time a sitting prime minis- ter has had to curtail plans and policies in the face of massive protest and public outrage. Joseph Muscat had faced one of the largest environmental demon- strations ever when he announced he would be hiv- ing part of l-Inwadar in Marsaskala for a controversial university project. Abela too, in his own long hot summer of 2023, was faced with a trifecta of political debacles: the long fall- out from the Muscat legacy due to the Vitals-Steward privatisation fiasco and major allegations of fraud and corruption, but then also the Sofia inquiry vote, and nationwide blackouts exposing weakness in Malta's electricity distribution system. It was not the first time the electorate had to endure political U-turns, but the bad optics and infrastruc- tural challenges have soured Labour's electoral soup in the run-up to the European elections in 2024. The refusal to back a public inquiry until Abela caved in under popular outrage, severed an emotional cord with the administration. 2023 shows that U-turns, be they a judicious climb- down from obdurate positions, cynical strategy, or simply lack of mugsy, risk exposing a feeble backbone. The Sofia inquiry Abela had been categorical about refusing the PN's call for a public inquiry into construction deaths, par- allel to the Kordin magisterial inquiry. With a cam- paign spearheaded by the grieving mother of Jean Paul Sofia, his obdurate position was crowned by his parliamentary group voting against the PN motion for the inquiry. But the image of the Sofia family railing at the Labour MPs from the Strangers Gallery became an enduring image of justified rage, prompting na- tional opprobrium for Labour. Suffering the consternation of a wide part of the electorate, Abela appeared careless as he was snapped ploughing out of his troubled Maltese waters for his Ragusan weekender – with baseball cap in reverse and dressed in holiday mode – on his swanky Azimut 50 yacht, an image of wealth that smacked of disdain for an enraged public. The tide turned almost immediately, with Abela meeting Sofia's mother to announce the public in- quiry as a vigil for Sofia to be attended by thousands outside Castille beckoned. The PM then seemed to have torn the political play- book even when, the same evening of announcing the After the feelgood MATTHEW VELLA mvella@mediatoday.com.mt Amid doom and gloom, 2023 also had positive moments The national women's football team gained promotion in the Nations League