The country’s name is said to be derived from the Greek noun ‘Melitē’, which means ‘sweet honey’, in reference to the honey produced by an endemic type of bee found on the island. Another possible alternative comes from the Phoenician word ‘Maleth’, meaning ‘port’ in view of Malta’s coastal areas.

Malta’s flag is divided vertically into white and red halves – with the George Cross found on the top left. The latter was bestowed upon the island by King George VI in recognition of the people’s valour and the role the country played during WWII.

Being Maltese myself, I’m very evidently biased when writing about the country’s politics. On paper, Malta is a democratic republic with the President being the head of state – a ceremonial and mostly insignificant position given that the government is led by the Prime Minister (PM). Legislation is carried out by the unicameral parliament consisting of ministers, the PM and the President, with the judicial system being independent. 

Since its independence, Malta has been plagued by bipartisan politics, with the Nationalist and Labour parties occupying all seats in parliament. It’s under the latter’s government that the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia’s cold-blooded murder happened – the very same one that shocked the entire world. Though her work had linked various government officials to the Panama Papers around the same time her car was bombed, her death was pinned on a businessman (who randomly happened to have close ties with the former PM’s colleagues). There is much speculation and conjecture about everything that had transpired, and whilst said government officials still roam free to this day with the vast majority of Maltese citizens not giving a crap (those supporting the government actually celebrated her murder!), justice is yet to be served. 

Throughout this political crisis, we did earn a few accolades though, with the Economist Intelligence Unit rating Malta as a ‘flawed democracy’ and the former PM being named “Man of the Year in Organized Crime and Corruption”. My blood boils and my eyes shed tears of rage just writing about all this.

Despite the dark cloud hanging over our political institutions, the wheels of the country keep turning. Whilst we might be able to blame all the world’s evils on said government, we kinda owe it to them that we have a highly industrialised advanced economy – mostly through the privatisation (or prostitution as we locals like to call it) of our assets (another controversial topic in and of itself). 

With foreign trade, financial services, manufacturing and tourism being the keystones of our economy, Malta does quite well in keeping up with other larger, and perhaps fiercer competitors in the European Union. Much can be said about Maltese politics and politicians, but with Roberta Metsola, a Maltese power-woman and staunch Daphne supporter, at the helm of the European Parliament, not all hope is lost.