Looking Back 2023: The year of discontent

Choosing one word to baptise a whole year is never easy because it paints with one colour what would otherwise be a kaleidoscope of events and issues. 

Nonetheless, in the mixed bag that was 2023, a feeling that ran across the 12 months was that of discontent. This may seem a subjective assessment, but we do have the numbers to back it up. 

Regular surveys carried out by MaltaToday have shown how more and more voters are joining the ranks of Malta’s third largest grouping – the non-voters. And the numbers have swelled also thanks to Labour voters disenchanted by the party in government. 

There are myriad reasons why more people are saying they will park their vote rather than cast it for a political party but at the root of it is the squeeze on family and personal budgets caused by inflation. 

Consumers in Malta may be shielded from the higher energy and fuel prices witnessed in other EU countries, but this has not prevented significant price increases elsewhere. Food prices continued their upward trend in 2023, causing significant pressure on single-income households and pensioners. 

But middle-income earners also struggled to maintain their average lifestyle with official statistics showing that to compensate for the loss of disposable income many more opted for part-time work alongside their full-time job. 

Irrespective of the multi-million-euro subsidies to maintain energy and fuel prices stable; irrespective of the macro-economic headline figures that place Malta among the best in the EU; the pain of inflation has created a growing sense of hopelessness. 

Although there is little the government can do to counter imported inflation other than subsidising energy and fuels the way it is doing, hopelessness can easily turn into anger in the face of corruption scandals, the squandering of public funds, and political hard-headedness. 

And 2023 was no exception. The driving licence scandal, the severe disability benefit fraud scandal, Rosianne Cutajar’s phantom job with the tourism school, and the cancellation of the hospitals contract with Steward, which the Appeals Court said was the result of collusion between government officials and the concessionaire, contributed to the discontent. Scandals like these start rubbing people the wrong way when their lifestyles start getting compromised. 

The epitome of 2023 was when the grieving parents of Jean Paul Sofia confronted the Prime Minister and government MPs inside parliament over their reluctance to accept a public inquiry into their son’s death. 

It was a David and Goliath moment that shook the nation; when otherwise government-friendly voices dropped their guard and expressed solidarity with the grieving parents as Labour MPs exited parliament red in the face. 

And yet, despite the discontent, the Opposition failed to make substantial inroads. This is an indication that voters still do not see the Opposition as a suitable alternative government. 

But in 2023 more and more people joined the ranks of those criticising government’s policy to sustain economic growth by importing foreign workers. 

From backlash against erratic driving by Y-plate cabs to complaints about foreigners offering essential services without being able to communicate well and others living in overcrowded apartments thus causing nuisance to neighbours, the criticism was constant. It boiled over in July when during a 10-day heatwave, the electricity distribution network failed because of old infrastructure and its inability to cope with growing demand. 

The discontent with living in an overcrowded and rapidly changing country was palpable even if at times the discourse bordered on xenophobia and racism. The Nationalist Party flirted with riding on the xenophobic bandwagon as it made foreign workers a key plank of its agenda. 

Government was forced to act. New stricter rules to curb the influx of non-EU cab drivers were introduced; the law was changed to limit the number of non-family members who could live together in a rented dwelling; a new law was floated to regulate temping agencies, making them accountable for their actions when bringing non-EU nationals to work in Malta. A substantially higher investment in the electricity distribution network was also announced. 

Whether these actions will be enough to satiate a jittery electorate remains to be seen but the only sure thing is that in its current state, the Maltese economy will have problems if the doors are closed shut to foreign labour. 

Amid this doom and gloom, 2023 also had its share of positive stories. 

Membership of the UN Security Council gave Malta a bigger international voice. The quiet diplomacy resulted in Malta breaking the deadlock at the UNSC on a resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in Gaza. Malta’s ability to act as an honest broker was noticed and the country ended up landing the presidency of the OSCE. 

The national women’s football team managed to secure promotion to Group B in the Nations League after an impressive run, making the nation proud.  

Malta also topped the medals table for the first time in the Games for the Small States of Europe and in the cultural field, the traditional Maltese festa achieved UNESCO recognition, crowning the dedication of thousands of volunteers whose hard work to bring our communities alive in celebration is often underappreciated. 

These moments of joy offered glimmers of hope in an otherwise glum year characterised by the pain of inflation and a general sense of despondency. 

At the cusp of a new year, many have come to realise the good years are over and it’s going to be a hard slog in the face of international uncertainty. 

It is with this in mind that we look back at 2023 and baptise it the Year of Discontent.