Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542275
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 27 MARCH 2022 OPINION 2 maltatoday EXECUTIVE EDITOR KURT SANSONE ksansone@mediatoday.com.mt Letters to the Editor, MaltaToday, Vjal ir-Rihan, San Gwann SGN 9016 E-mail: dailynews@mediatoday.com.mt Letters must be concise, no pen names accepted, include full name and address maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 DECEMBER 2025 Reflecting on our 2025 Editorial THE end of year is a time for reflection, not least for a media organisation like MaltaToday that strives to be an agenda-setter. In 2025, we did not shy away from our duty to probe and analyse news as it developed. When government decided to table in parliament two controversial planning bills on a Friday after- noon in July, we were not content with simply reporting the news. We dissected the legalese to uncover a reform process that would radically overhaul the planning process by favouring de- velopers and restricting the avenues of objection. Editorially we called out Prime Minister Robert Abela for being dishonest. The planning reform he had promised was originally intended to halt works pending the resolution of appeals process- es—something over which there was widespread consensus. What he delivered on that hot sum- mer afternoon was a revamped planning system geared to appease developers and big business. It is good that Abela has now promised not to budge on the proposed reform until wide con- sensus can be reached but we stand firm in our belief that he should withdraw the bills from par- liament as a sign of goodwill. We were equally strong in our stand when the International Court of Arbitration delivered its final judgment in the proceedings that Steward Health Care had instituted against Malta for ter- minating its hospitals contract. As journalists worth our salt, we reserved our judgement un- til the government published the full sentence, which was five full days after Castille came out singing victory. Our caution was not misplaced because an in-depth reading of the judgment— we did actually read every page—showed that the story was slightly different from the one Castille tried to tell. The arbitration made it clear that the biggest loser was the Maltese nation and the government had tried to recoup €488 million from Steward but failed. The limited victory was that Malta managed to fend off Steward's claim for €158 million, based on the secretive agreement it had reached with then Health Minister Konrad Mizzi in August 2019. In 2025, we took a clear stand in favour of Mal- ta's recognition of the Palestinian State and ques- tioned the government's procrastination in doing so. We called Israel's actions in Gaza a genocide and criticised the EU's inability to suspend the association agreement with Israel. We also advo- cated for Malta's withdrawal from the Eurovision next year if Israel participates. We were critical of the Nationalist Party's per- sistent flouting of the political party financing law when it failed to publish its accounts and donation reports. This was redressed only this month, a pledge Alex Borg made when becoming PN leader in September. And then there were the MaltaToday surveys that have become a tradition in the political landscape for the past 20 years. The figures con- tinued to paint a picture of an electorate that is increasingly edgy about the government but not yet convinced the Opposition is a better alterna- tive. Borg's leadership did shake things up—his trust rating is far better than that of his prede- cessors and the gap between the parties has re- duced—but it's still a bumpy road to Castille for the PN. Abela retains a high trust rating, even among undecided voters, which begs the question as to whether he can translate this into concrete sup- port for his party going forward. In 2025, MaltaToday received its fair share of labels. We oscillated from being called anti-La- bour to 'MandraToday'; from being accused of being bought out by the government to being pro-PN. These labels bring a smile to the face of our journalists, who will continue doing their work without fear or favour; holding power to account and serving as a source of information for our readers through thoughtful analysis and in-depth reporting. We will continue down this same road unashamedly in the new year. To all those people and sources who have trust- ed us with their stories and comments, we thank you for helping us tell your story to the rest of the country. Your continued trust is invaluable to our work. To all our readers, we wish you a happy New Year and invite you to continue sup- porting us, even if you may not agree with all we say and do. Quote of the Week "Have you found me some knew, inappropriate friends?" – An email signed off as 'A', believed to have been sent by the former Prince Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to Ghislaine Maxwell, found in the latest throve of the Jeffrey Epstein files released by the American authorities. MaltaToday 10 years ago THE YEAR OF THE GREEN AWAKENING 27 December 2015 IT was the year when for the first time in its his- tory, Malta was 2,000 votes short of abrogating a law through a referendum seeking the abolition of the spring hunting derogation which both major parties support. A cold shower to activists, but the ability of civil society to set in motion a referendum that was a few votes short of a successful outcome clearly rang the alarm bells of the political estab- lishment. Weeks after the referendum, the PM himself proceeded to stop the spring hunting season in the most arbitrary way after a protect- ed bird fell in the grounds of a private school. It was the year Malta saw the largest ever environmental protest organised by the newly set up Front Harsien ODZ, followed by the gov- ernment partially backtracking by downscaling the take up of ODZ land for the American Uni- versity of Malta, from 90,000 to 18,000 square metres. Clearly the government had found more opposition than it had anticipated when it an- nounced the project in the aftermath of the ref- erendum. Rather than beaten down, civil society rose back from the ashes of the referendum like a phoenix. A proposed airstrip in Gozo was put on the back burner – and so far the government has refrained from proceeding with" "land recla- mation plans. No further details emerged on an EOI for the redevelopment of the White Rocks site, which abuts on Natura 2000 areas. A revi- sion of the local plans is still in the offing, as the government seems to be reluctant on reopening the Pandora's box of ODZ boundaries. It seems that on land use issues, the government prefers to test the ground, revising its initial plans on the basis of the opposition and support such proposals elicit. ...