For Joseph Muscat, 2019 has been his annus horribilis, a horrible year, ending in utter disgrace. From a landslide victory in May’s European elections, Muscat became the leader many refused to touch by December.
Most citizens of this tiny island who believe in the rule of law and good governance would, no doubt, have preferred to bid farewell to the outgoing year in cheerful circumstances. Genuine Labour Party supporters feel let down by a man who promised all a new way of doing politics, which turned out to mean rampant cronyism, corruption and selling Malta to the highest bidder.
But not all is lost. Together, as a united people we can ensure that 2020, can be annus mirabilis: a wonderful year, or at least the beginning of better times to come. Ironically, Malta has experienced one of its worst ever political crises on the 100th anniversary of the June 7, 1919, disturbances.
Then, the valiant Maltese people decided that enough was enough and embarked on a journey that, slowly but surely, made Malta into the democratic independent republic we are now so proud of.
Like their ancestors, many Maltese flocked to street protests held over the past weeks after it became evident that a clique which extended to the Office of the Prime Minister had put their own interests before all else. They betrayed their compatriots in a barefaced manner.
Another significant anniversary falls in the new year: World War II ended 75 years ago, heralding a new era of peace and prosperity. It encourages us to look ahead optimistically, with courage and confidence.
Archbishop Charles Scicluna recently said society must realise where it builds foundations on the sand and, without waiting for the whole edifice to collapse, rebuild on a strong foundation of goodness and honesty.
Those wise words need not only be applied to one’s religious life. It may sound like an exaggeration but the Maltese people are, in a way, faced with a collapsed state.
However, civil society has already demonstrated that the answer lies not in waiting to see what will happen next but in taking the bull by the horns and seeking to rebuild on strong foundations of goodness and honesty, to use the Archbishop’s words.
If there is one positive thing about 2019, it is the way thousands felt they had a duty to take to the streets in the wake of shocking revelations in the Daphne Caruana Galizia murder probe. During the turmoil of the 1980s, the crowd chanting the national anthem at huge manifestations would emphasise the words written by the national poet, Dun Karm Psaila, asking the Lord to grant strength to workers.
As we greet the new year, let all Maltese of goodwill join hands to unite in a common fight for the good of society.
The ‘new’ government – it has to be ‘new’ because retaining the status quo is not an option – must first ensure that justice is done and seen to be done. It should then roll up its sleeves to remove the filth from the corridors of power and put systems in place to keep them clean.
The ‘new’ government needs to commit to stop destroying the environment and attmept to put a stop to the cronyism which has been taken to an art form.
That alone would turn 2020 into the year we’d look back on as being the dawn of another new era.