It had to be a year when politicking took the backburner but 2014 was anything but bereft of controversy and bitter exchanges.

Coming on the back of a general election year characterised by a long, politically tumultuous run-up, 2014 was expected to see the political heat dissipate. It did not.

From Labour’s landslide victory in the European Parliament election that dealt a blow to Nationalist Party leader Simon Busuttil to the sacking of Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia, politics retained a strong presence in the public psyche.

It started in January when the controversy over the sale of Maltese citizenship made it to the European Parliament, which approved a non-binding resolution criticising Malta over the matter. But the matter died down when the European Commission later accepted the government’s plan.

In March, just a year into the administration, Prime Minister Joseph Muscat reshuffled his Cabinet.

Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca was made President, Godfrey Farrugia left Cabinet after refusing the social solidarity portfolio instead of health, and parliamentary secretary Franco Mercieca was dropped at his request.

Faced with George Abela’s refusal to sign the Civil Unions Bill, the law granting gay couples full marriage rights had to be delayed until the outgoing President’s term came to a close in April.

Parliament eventually approved the law with the Nationalist Party parliamentary group abstaining, in what was one of the first stern tests for Dr Busuttil’s leadership.

May saw the PN taking another trouncing at the polls as Labour retained its massive vote lead in the European Parliament election. Dr Busuttil’s saving grace was the PN’s last minute success to clinch a third seat for the first time.

But 2014 also saw civil society take on an active political role with the anti-spring hunting coalition presenting the Electoral Commission with a petition for the holding of an abrogative referendum. The process is now in front of the Constitutional court.

However, in a non-legally binding counter-move, the hunting lobby in June presented MPs with a petition claiming to contain more than 100,000 signatures calling for changes to make it illegal for minority rights to be abolished by a referendum.

The politicking seemed to take a backburner with occasional flare-ups over the delayed construction of the gas power station, the Chinese interest in Enemalta and the misdemeanours of some of Joseph Muscat’s ministers.

Budget presentation one of longest ever

November had to be the Finance Minister’s crowning month as he presented Budget 2015. However, two days after Edward Scicluna delivered one of the longest Budget speeches in living memory, the fiscal and economic exercise was upstaged by a shooting incident involving former Home Affairs Minister Manuel Mallia’s driver.

The political heat hit boiling point in what proved to be Dr Muscat’s first big test as Prime Minister. The public pressure, the political bickering and leaked recordings from the police control room that painted a sorry picture of the corps, eventually led the Prime Minister to sack Dr Mallia.

Government spokesman Carmelo Abela was appointed Home Affairs Minister and Acting Police Commissioner Ray Zammit was replaced by former Security Services head Michael Cassar.

But 2014 also saw the heat being turned up in the Church’s kitchen. Archbishop Paul Cremona called it a day after a summer of discontent saw priests openly criticising his leadership of the Church. It was the first time that a sitting archbishop left before retirement age as a result of health considerations.

Auxiliary Bishop Charles Scicluna was appointed Apostolic Administrator as the Vatican kick-started the process to choose the next archbishop.

From the kitchen heat of partisan and ecclesiastical politics, 2014 also had its fair share of daring murders.

In February, Pietru Cassar, known as il-Ħaqqa, was shot dead in his Żejtun garage which the police had searched for evidence that could connect him to the bomb planted on the car of Paul Degabriele, known as is-Suldat, in 2012.

A car bomb in June killed Darren Degabriele from Birżebbuġa as his girlfriend escaped with minor injuries

It was followed by the attempted murder of Vince Muscat, known as il-Koħħu ,outside his Msida home.

Jonathan Pace, 31, of Żejtun, the former owner of Tyson Butcher, was charged with the attempted murder. In August, just days after being released on bail, Mr Pace was gunned down as he stood in the balcony of a Fgura apartment.

A car bomb in June killed Darren Degabriele from Birżebbuġa as his girlfriend escaped from the car with minor injuries.

But 2014 also had its good moments.

Anniversary celebrations of key dates from Malta’s history, including the 50th anniversary of Independence and the 35th anniversary of Freedom Day, were bereft of controversy as the historical bickering gave way to unity.

And the year was crowned with the record-breaking sum of €3.6 million collected during the L-Istrina telethon, which confirmed that generosity, at least of a fiscal nature, was still alive and kicking.

kurt.sansone@timesofmalta.com