As it dims into the past, I would put 2009 down as pretty much an annus horribilis. The impact of high fuel prices and the global recession are most worthy of note and many, especially the most vulnerable, have felt the pinch.
But there was also the second European Parliament election on June 6, which produced a debacle for my own party, the Nationalist Party. Despite pulling out all the stops to deliver a respectable campaign, we lost out heavily, electing just two out of six seats up for grabs. Although I was re-elected with a very good score, I had little reason to rejoice.
I may be wrong but I should think that the result was less of a negative judgment of Nationalist MEPs - our performance was well documented and publicised - as much as it was a protest vote against the national government. It is indeed frustrating that national politics continue to turn local council and European elections into opportunities for protest votes. But nor is it surprising and, try as one might to combat this trend, it seems set to be part of political life in Malta as it is abroad and one has to learn to live with it.
There is no doubt that the result sent a message to the government especially over its handling of the electricity bills. But that is not to say that the government was to blame for fuel prices over which it has no control. Still less for the global recession, which started to bite this year. It was just at the wrong end of the electorate's stick.
Indeed, my view is that, by and large, the Administration continues to have sound policies to face the country's challenges. In fact, we are faring better in the crisis than our European counterparts, especially those that have dragged their feet on joining the eurozone.
On the other hand, despite riding on the popularity of its new leader, the Opposition still remains hamstrung by an inability to produce better policies. One such example was Labour's shockingly populist response to the challenge of immigration. Their proposal to block all EU decisions was naïve to the extreme and would have deepened our problems rather than solved them.
Instead, the government's moderate but persistent stand started to produce visible results. Thus, the number of arrivals was halved in 2009 and solidarity at European level, albeit still a far cry from what one would expect it to be, has started to finally take shape. Just one year ago solidarity was dismissed as wishful thinking. Today, thanks to us, it is on the European agenda and, despite continued resistance, the question is not if but how.
Now even in the European Parliament, where the Labour Party has no excuse of being in opposition, none of its MEPs sit on the parliamentary committee that deals with immigration. Despite their brouhaha, I remain the lone Maltese MEP in this committee.
The bottom line is that it is easy to say things that people want to hear but when it comes to delivering sound policies and results, Labour continues to be found wanting. This should speak volumes on what they would be like in government.
Other than immigration, throughout this year I have followed several other issues. But, in particular, a great deal of time and effort were spent on complaints reaching me from individuals as well as groups of citizens. Among these, the most important remains our continued failure to meet EU standards on air quality. It is for this reason that, over the past three years, I have sought to keep this item on the agenda through my Stop The Dust campaign.
On the positive side, late in the year, Mepa finally issued proposals for public consultation that would, for the first time, introduce a system of environmental permitting that would oblige enterprises to respect environmental standards on an ongoing basis. Earlier, new building regulations were published that would go a long way in reducing inconvenience for residents during construction projects.
Both are steps in the right direction. However, I fear the government still lacks alacrity in redressing the problem of poor air quality. In this sense, I find Malta's recent request to extend the deadline for coming in line with EU standards difficult to accept.
So, all in all, not such a good year, whether politically or economically. But, as the eternal optimist, I would say that that should bode well for 2010. For things can only get better.
Three cheers for a better year and happy New Year!
Readers who would like to ask questions to be answered in this column can send an e-mail, identifying themselves, to contact@simonbusuttil.eu or through www.simonbusuttil.eu.
Dr Busuttil is a Nationalist member of the European Parliament.