A year in the life of...

As the Arab Spring erupted too close for comfort and Europe struggled to keep its currency afloat, Malta was embroiled in a hotly-contested divorce referendum, more backbench unrest, and the arrival of Arriva. Herman Grech takes a look at 2011’s winners and losers.

A good year for:

Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando
Embroiled in controversy since 2008, the outspoken MP had the last laugh when he steered the divorce referendum towards a resounding ‘yes’ vote, despite his party’s ill-advised anti-divorce stand. And then coolly announced he will be quitting politics by the end of the legislature.

George Abela
The indefatigable President turned 2010’s bad press around by taking a clear stand on constitutional reform, getting closer to people of all political creeds, and ending the year on a high by hosting a successful President’s Run and a record-breaking L-Istrina charity extravaganza.

Victims of clerical abuse
The courts jailed two priests for a total of 11 years for abusing boys in their care, finally bringing justice and closure to a team led by Lawrence Grech (pictured) - even if the victims’ calls for financial compensation were dismissed by the Church.

William Chetcuti
The double trap shooter won a world cup shoot in Beijing to qualify for the 2012 Olympics and stole the show at the 2011 Malta Olympic Committee Sports Awards, while climbing up to fifth in the ISSF world rankings. His Medal for Service to the Republic was not out of place.

Vanessa Frazier
The director of defence at the Office of the Prime Minister was catapulted into the limelight as Malta acted as a temporary evacuation base in the wake of the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi. Her seamless coordination efforts even won her praise from British Prime Minister David Cameron.

Nathan Farrugia
The Inspire CEO inspired thousands with his philanthropic work and athletic feats, completing the tough Lanzarote Ironman, and then running into the record books as the first person to run 27 marathons in 27 different countries in consecutive days.

Joseph Calleja
The Maltese tenor just keeps singing his way to the top – his album topped the US classical album charts, headlined the Nobel Prize ceremony, earning a Grammy co-nomination and winning accolades and standing ovations around the world.

Tenishia
Placing among highly-acclaimed DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs in the world list, Joven Grech and Cyprian Cassar, better known as dance duo Tenishia, have seen their tracks championed across the trance scene by all the big-hitters and scooped gongs at the Malta Music Awards.

A bad year for:

Austin Gatt
The long-awaited public transport re­form turned out to be the Transport Minister’s nightmare. The veteran politician had to ward off overwhelming public discontent, internal criticism, and then survived an embarrassing vote of no confidence with the Speaker’s vote.

Arriva
The new bus operators were meant to be the solution to an outdated, polluting public transport service. But six months into the service – the delays, the no-show drivers, and tens of thousands of complaints, the bulky Arriva buses still serve as the butt of all jokes.

Carm Mifsud Bonnici
Amid constant claims of drug use in prison, the seasoned politician’s ministry was constantly lambasted by backbencher Franco Debono, forcing the Prime Minister to consider splitting the ministry. And all this, as Dr Mifsud Bonnici fought a serious illness.

John Buttigieg
The football coach was sacked after a string of poor results in the European Nations Cup qualifiers once again left Malta rooted at the bottom of its group. The success of minnows like Estonia only helped emphasise the chronic state of poverty in Malta’s favourite sport.

Douglas Kmiec
Shortly after being involved in a horrific car crash which killed two of his friends, the American ambassador was rebuked by the US State Department for spending too much time writing about his Catholic beliefs, prompting his resignation less than a year-and-a-half into his term.

Maximillian Ciantar
The 21-year-old man evidently learnt nothing despite having his driving ban controversially reduced from 10 years to six months after running over two girls. After being caught at the wheel of a car and arrested, he tried to attack two journalists – in court.

Bank of Valletta
The bank saw its pre-tax profits go down 35 per cent on the back of investment losses caused by market volatility and an out-of-court settlement with shareholders of a property fund that went bust... along with a good dose of reputation.

The Church
2011 was the Maltese Church’s annus horribilis. The divorce referendum prompted extreme views from the pulpit, alienating the already dwindling faithful. Amid worrying financial worries, the Curia’s decision not to award compensation to clerical abuse victims only made a sticky situation worse.