Editorial
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How do we maintain a trend?
Malta sealed 2012 with tourism figures that are the envy of any destination relying on overseas visitors to boost its economy. About 1.4 million visited Malta, signalling also an increase in the number of bed nights and overall tourism expenditure.
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Public interest demands transparency
Inquiries are held for specific reasons. They are mainly meant to establish facts, apportion blame and make recommendations to avoid a repeat. In public matters, they serve the common good and, as such, are in the public interest. In the justice...
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Two is certainly better than five
President George Abela’s suggestion that it’s time for Malta to have two national days – Independence Day and Republic Day – rather than five, should be agreed upon by the Government and Opposition. The fact that Malta has five national days – in...
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Gazing through the crystal ball of reality
The new year, 2013 will certainly be an eventful one, both on the home front and beyond. It will see the most powerful man in the world take his oath of office in Washington. This will be Barack Obama’s second and final term of office. Since he now...
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The year that was
The signs that 2012 would be a tumultuous year in Malta were present from the very beginning, with two tragic deaths occurring on New Year’s Day. While their respective families continue to grieve over a case that has never been fully resolved, it...
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Unshackling growth: women at work
Economic growth is posited by the political parties as the solution to stronger finances and a better quality of life. The terminology is meaningless for ordinary people unless it translates into more jobs, better-quality jobs and wealth that...
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Shameless discrimination in our midst
As Malta grappled with defeated Budget votes and a judiciary rocked by scandal, it was no surprise that an important report about housing prejudice failed to make the main headlines. In an in-depth study, the National Commission for the Promotion of...
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A rare moment of united solidarity
Yesterday’s edition of L-Istrina was once again an overwhelming success and confirmed that the values of generosity, charity and solidarity are still deeply rooted in our national identity - despite the fact that the ludicrous prizes from the annual...
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Merry Christmas in everyday life
“If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart,” Scrooge tells his nephew in the opening bars of Charles Dickens’s...
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So... this is Christmas?
Anyone who blinked probably missed the respite from politics in the build-up to Christmas. Showing little sign of festive spirit, the parties have been at each others’ throats and Labour threw in some extra spice into the mix last Thursday by...
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Step closer to sensible energy strategy
One of the main economic weaknesses Malta faces is its almost total dependence on imported fossil fuels. The persistent oil market volatility impacts heavily on family finances as well as on businesses because oil and its energy derivatives are the...
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Is there no end to shooting massacres?
Last week’s horrific shooting rampage in Newtown, Connecticut, which caused the deaths of 27 people, including 20 children aged six to seven, has once again reignited the debate over gun control in the United States. The US is certainly not the only...
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Comments on magistrate unacceptable
Few people would have expected a debate between the parties’ two deputy leaders to have become such a talking point, especially when such encounters are normally dour occasions which are instantly forgotten whether or not there is any Christmas...
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Dealing with difficult care orders
Agenzija Appoġġ is part of the Government’s Foundation for Social Services. It is the central national agency for children and families in need, a regrettably growing cohort of Maltese society as economic pressures increase and changes in the nature...
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When dirty political tricks backfire
The electoral campaign will officially kick off on January 7 but the two main political parties have already made two major electoral gaffes. The Labour Party’s decision to accept a request from Franco Debono to take part in what was supposed to be...
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Enemalta must move out of crisis mode
Enemalta may be suffering from crisis creep – a process that sees the management of the corporation slowly but surely being engulfed by one operational crisis after another. The controversial selection of the new BWSC power station, the frequent...
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Our institutions are in crisis
Whichever way one looks at it, this has been a terrible week for Malta. One shudders to think what visitors and people abroad would have made of the news the media were compelled to print and air. More important than their views, of course, are...
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Resolving the gas distribution dispute
Gas distributors are again resorting to sabre rattling by threatening to take industrial action if an outstanding dispute is not resolved by the consumer affairs regulator. The issue revolves around the inexplicable delay of the Malta Competition...
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Time to start probing the state of the judiciary
This has been the worst week for the judiciary since those dark days in August 2002 when the then Chief Justice together with another judge were charged, and subsequently convicted, of accepting a bribe in return for reducing a sentence. With the...
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Captive market tuck shop rip-off
Almost four years ago, an independent inquiry, led by a former director of Corradino Correctional Facility, submitted a most comprehensive report into the administration and operation of the prison. It exposed serious institutional shortcomings in...
