This will be the last year before electoral frenzy grips Malta again given that the country will have successive rounds of European, national and local elections between 2012 and 2014.

Will any significant reforms take place in the Maltese political sphere? I, for one, hope Malta moves some inches closer to European-style democracy in the coming year.

As I see it, Malta should decide whether it wants to be a cosmopolitan European democracy or whether it wants to remain the backyard of Europe, burying its head in the sand on various issues that have been long established in advanced democracies. Of course, such a statement may be too categorical, given the various factors, such as the economic, ecological, social, cultural and political, which help shape Maltese society. But this does not mean one should sit down and relax hoping that progressive reforms take place automatically, along a fictional royal red carpet of evolutionary history. As social actors, we can bring about changes at various levels.

One issue that shall surely dominate the Maltese political sphere in 2011 is divorce. It is unclear whether a referendum shall really take place, especially since the Nationalist Party is, as always, making its calculations on the voting plusses and minuses of such a strategy. Labour’s catch-all-strategy, aiming to please everyone while not pronouncing itself clearly on anything significant, will not help.

I hope the government puts forward a proper roadmap on the divorce issue so that both the yes and no camps can have ample space and time to present their arguments in an orderly manner. And, please, let’s stop saying this is not a political issue. Of course it is! It is through the vote that one can ensure the introduction of this basic civil right.

If 2011 shall really be the year of the divorce referendum, I hope the yes campaign will emerge victorious. Malta will finally join the rest of the world in the achievement of this basic civil right, which can only help strengthen family life, for example by allowing separated persons to remarry should they want to.

I also augur Malta stops using an intolerant approach on matters related to sexuality and cultural pluralism, among others. A modern democratic society cannot remain relying on mindsets and cultural constructs that assume that everyone in Malta shares the same faith, lifestyle and aspirations.

Of course, this does not mean anything goes and that morality should be thrown out of the window. But, once again, we can only learn from the policies and practices of advanced democracies. In this regard, the argument that Malta has its own values should not be used to stifle the values of diversity, respect and tolerance. Fundamentalism – in its various forms – should have no space in a cosmopolitan society.

Another issue which, I believe merits importance, is that related to the PNPL duopoly, which remains unaccountable in their financial transactions and have disproportionate influence on civil society, even thanks to the way Maltese-style democracy is designed. Media spectacles like L-Istrina, good intentions aside, are a depressive reminder as to how civil society is suffocated by the dominant institutions.

Certain media agencies are in many ways strengthening the PNPL hegemony, especially when they seem to have become more interested in maintaining the status quo than acting fairly. With all due respect to my friends Peppi Azzopardi and Lou Bondì, I would like to remind them that, during this season’s TV schedule, they have never invited AD representatives for programmes on political issues. When Mr Azzopardi and Mr Bondì ask “Where’s Everybody?” I can only say the Green party is here but WE does not seem to notice. How’s that for fair journalism?

Hopefully, Malta will take clear decisions on other important issues such as water, pensions and energy use during the coming year. As regards the economy, Malta has adapted relatively well to the global economic crises, compared to many other countries. Yet, at the same time, it is worrying that official statistics show an increase in persons at the risk of poverty and surveys reveal the cost of living, low wages and employment are major concerns for people in Malta.

It is also becoming clearer that over-reliance on construction and property speculation can have very negative economic, social and environmental consequences. Malta has been told by the IMF the oversupply of construction is posing a serious threat to the financial sector because the latter has considerable of its assets tied to property. Shall policies be adopted to avoid this bubble from bursting? Fiscal policies against property speculation come to mind here, alongside more rational planning.

Another thing I would like to see happen in 2011 is that certain untouchable lobbies be cut down to size on their disproportionate influence in environmental, economic and social policy. I do not need to give examples, I am sure readers of The Times know what I am referring to when they themselves are short-changed as consumers, when their rights as residents are trampled upon.

Malta is a wonderful place to live in and I believe it can be made even better if we really become part of a modern, egalitarian and cosmopolitan Europe.

I wish the readers, staff and directors of The Times a happy new year.

The author is chairman of Alternattiva Demokratika – the Green party.