2008: a year in review
The year 2008 presented its very own set of interesting news and events, touching to some degree or another the lives of all the Maltese.
The adoption of the Euro as Malta’s official currency on the 1st of January surely affected every Maltese citizen, but the almost seamless switch-over was recognised even by the European Union.
The year 2008 presented its very own set of interesting news and events, touching to some degree or another the lives of all the Maltese.
The adoption of the Euro as Malta’s official currency on the 1st of January surely affected every Maltese citizen, but the almost seamless switch-over was recognised even by the European Union.
The general election held on the 8th March 2008 produced a surprise result, returning the Nationalist Party to government and leading to an 'earthquake' within the Malta Labour Party. The new administration, with many new faces led by returning Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, tried to introduce new reforms, some of which, especially the public transport reform, led to public manifestations of disapproval. However, the government had the international financial crisis to deal with, as the soaring prices of petroleum led to a hefty surcharge on water and electricity bills. The Budget for 2009, presented in November, was a green budget as it introduced several eco-friendly measures, but it was announced a few days after the government revealed new utility tariffs that attracted criticism from the trade unions. The hot issue of illegal immigration continued to make headlines as Malta tried to seek help from other EU members as boatload after boatload of immigrants ended up on Maltese shores. The Eurovision Song Contest in May proved yet another disappointment for Malta's entry leading to calls for withdrawal from next year's event, particularly in light of the way this event has come to outbalance the rest of the local music scene without any tangible benefits. Other events that made headlines, including the mysterious disappearance of the Simshar fishing boat, the Maltese workers kidnapped in Nigeria, and the (re)opening of the Manwel Dimech bridge. MaltaMedia also made headlines, as Robert Micallef’s Wired Malta blog on the MaltaMedia Online Network won another Malta Journalism Award in November, the fourth in six years for our news service. Photo captions (top to bottom): Malta adopted the Euro as its new currency on the 1st of January; Dr Lawrence Gonzi was sworn in as Malta's Prime Minister after his party won the General Election in March; Gozitan singer Morena won the Malta Song for Europe and represented Malta at the Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade; Sir Anthony Mamo, Malta's first President of the Republic died in May; Dr Joseph Muscat was selected to lead the Malta Labour Party and eventually became the new Leader of the Opposition; Illegal immigrants from Africa continued to arrive by the boatload. |  |
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