Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1542275
6 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 28 DECEMBER 2025 LOOKING BACK 2025 Robert Abela: U-turns, balancing Robert Abela still offers a steady pair of hands on the economy but when it comes to foreign affairs, political the prime minister is leaving too much unfinished business as the legislature draws to its final stretch THE year 2025 tested Robert Abela's leadership, marked more by abrupt U-turns and frantic balancing acts than by decisive reforms. The outcome left voters dizzy. STILL, despite these problems, the government continued to rely on a buoyant economy that gave Abela the levers to sustain expenditure on subsidies, tax cuts and social assistance. Over all, the prime minister sus- tained the perception that he remains a steady captain who navigated the pandemic and other international crises suc- cessfully. Planning blues But Malta's successful eco- nomic model comes with side effects, which in 2025 exposed contradictions that reached a breaking point in planning policy. Abela found himself increasingly caught between public anger over controversial development decisions and the demands of developers seeking favourable concessions. The tension culminated in a big push back from Labour's heartlands in the south and south east, where Labour may- ors and residents teamed up with Graffitti and Il-Kollettiv activists to fight against mon- strosities approved in village cores and the taking up of agri- cultural land for development. Moreover, public backlash against two sweeping reform bills (Bill 143 and Bill 144) granting the Planning Author- ity and developers unprece- dented discretion over local plans, building heights and zoning, while curbing appeals left the prime minister reeling. He also faced internal dissent that eventually forced Abela to pause the reforms. Crucially, however, the bills remain tabled in parliament and decisions about them ap- pear to have been postponed to next year. But this modus operandi fol- lowed a familiar pattern: In- decent proposals followed by a retreat once pressure peaks, leaving everybody guessing on Abela's next move. Manoel Island and MIDI The Manoel Island saga epit- omised Abela's style of govern- ance. Earlier in the year, when faced with a petition to have Manoel Island returned to the public, Abela pushed back. He insisted there was a contract in place that could not be torn up and warned that any attempt to reclaim Manoel Island would incur a hefty financial cost to public coffers. Instead, he hailed the devel- opment planned by MIDI plc as being "of the highest quali- ty", while reiterating the devel- opers' explanation that 60% of the island would remain open to the public. But as petitioners gathered over 29,000 signatures and civil society pressure mounted, Ab- ela shifted his tone. He pledged to "meet and listen to every- one" until he declared that "the fight of the petitioners is my fight". By September, he commit- ted his government to turning Manoel Island into a national park, even going as far as criti- cising MIDI for reneging on its contractual obligations. Faced with protests against the planning bills on budget day, Abela went further, prom- ising another public park at White Rocks and revers- ing plans hatched during the Muscat-era for the place to be turned into luxury real es- tate. A third decision was an- nounced last month, when in an interview, Abela said Fort Campbell at Selmun in Mell- ieħa will also be turned into a national park. The prime minister deserves credit for showing political skill in sensing public opinion on the matter and performing a U-turn, which should leave the Maltese better off. But this flut- tering from one stand to anoth- er still begs the question: Is this just a balancing act to make up for the construction onslaught on Maltese towns and villages or is it a political decision made out of conviction? A clear victory While discontent on plan- ning has shaken Abela and his administration to the core, the prime minister emerged largely unscathed from the controver- sy surrounding Bill 125 in the first quarter of the year. Bill 125 restricted public access to magisterial inquiries and intro- duced police filtration before JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt Robert Abela and wife Lydia during the official ceremony marking Republic Day, held at the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta (Photo: DOI)