Originally published: August 2017
A few years ago I decided to leave my home country and try my luck abroad. This wasn’t a spontaneous decision at all, rather it was the result of many years during which my disillusion and frustration with Malta had been growing and growing until I felt I had to take action or I would fall into a very negative perpetual state of mind.
Of course, I have many friends and dear family back in Malta, but honestly, I don’t miss living there. I make it a point to visit at least once a year and I usually have a good time catching up with friends and spending time with my family, but I don’t feel like I would like to go back and live there.
As you can imagine, several friends and family members ask me why this is so. I’ve finally found some time to really list the reasons for my moving away from Malta and why I don’t feel as comfortable living there as I do in other places.
While this post will be very honest, I’m afraid that some readers will find it too negative or downright offensive. Please keep in mind that is an honest outpouring of my thoughts and feelings and is no way meant to attack anyone or show any lack of appreciation. I did grow up in Malta and received many good things, I was blessed with a great family and a good education and also had lots of great experiences. However, as I grew older I started to feel that this was not the place where I wanted to spend the rest of my life in, and this is an attempt to describe why.
Malta is described in propaganda as being an idyllic “paradise on earth” island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Surely life is incredibly good over there! Not to mention it’s a tax haven!
First of all, Malta is no tax haven if you’re Maltese. There are a few schemes designed to attract business and executives from abroad. These schemes have been widely used and abused, and that’s where the reputation for being a tax haven is coming from. The island is also famous for housing a great number of online gambling companies. These companies came to Malta due to the fiscal and regulatory incentives and they are by and large doing extremely well.
Online gambling is not something that interests me and in general, I don’t like the vibe that they have about them. I’m sure many Maltese will disagree with me on this, but this is my view on the topic. The gambling companies pay very well and usually provide attractive offices and perks to their employees. Due to them, property prices in the Sliema and St Julian’s area have risen to incredible levels (many would agree that it’s bubble stage already). A whole financial services industry has grown to support these companies.
The downside? Apart from the moral doubts of working at these companies or even incentivizing them to move to Malta, I see a lot of dependence on them. If another country were to offer better regulations and tax incentives, it is likely that many of these companies would leave, as they don’t have any significant ties with Malta. They are merely using the country. In the eventuality of them leaving, we will see serious repercussions on property prices and the financial services industry. Whether this situation ever plays out is anyone’s guess, but it’s definitely something that has always bothered me.
Now I don’t mean to turn this into an attack on gambling companies. They do well to seek out the best environment for them to operate so I don’t blame them for anything. I certainly didn’t leave Malta because of this, so let’s explore some other more important reasons for me leaving.
If I were to describe Malta in one word, it would be frustrating. There is no doubt that islands are (were?) blessed with natural beauty, great weather and beautiful sea. I think the small size of the islands is, however, a big problem for people like me. It is clear that you can find idiots in every country, but in bigger countries, you can mostly keep away from them. You can frequent different places, live in different areas, and generally live amongst people that you like. Not so in Malta, every time you step outside of your door you are bound to experience some kind of ignorance, be it illegal construction, irresponsible driving, and unprofessional behavior. There is no deeply ingrained culture of doing things the right way. Rather it’s more of a “whatever, if it barely works then it’s good enough”.
I acknowledge that I have trouble really describing what it is that frustrates me and pains me so much about living in Malta. I also know that most Maltese genuinely love living in Malta, and whenever I have tried to speak out against the way things are done, the usual reaction is to try and shut me up and tell me that things aren’t so bad.
I inevitably realized that there was no way I’m going to change the culture of a country. One of the best pieces of advice was given to me by a Bulgarian builder in Malta. In one of my moments of frustration, the builder, who was fixing some stuff in our office, overheard me complain about things in Malta. He calmly came up to me and told me “my friend, if you don’t like the menu, change the restaurant”. It was a seemingly joking and simple comment, but it rang so true for me that that was the moment that I decided to leave for good, and sure enough two months later I left.
Living in Malta, at least as a local, involves sustaining yourself (whether you want it or not) on a constant stream of local news. You can’t escape the latest political mess, and the smallest incidence can make front page news. It is really an environment that discourages you to think big and expand your mental horizons. For many years I found it very stifling and I harbored a lot of internal anxiety, frustration, and anger due to this situation over which I had little control.
Since moving abroad, all these effects instantly disappeared and I finally felt free to be what I really want to be and rapidly increase my knowledge in the areas that interest me, such as investing.
They say that a person is the sum of the other people that are closest to him. In Malta, I always struggled to surround myself with people who would constantly inspire me and drive me to become a better person. Due to the small island mentality, there seems to be a lot of jealousy and people try to keep you in line. You’re best just being an average Joe behaving like everyone else if you want to live a good life there. Do something significantly different than the rest and you’re going to have a very difficult time indeed.
But come on Jean, you might say, what about the lovely “best in the world” weather that Malta is blessed with? Well yes, Malta does indeed have very hot summers and mild wet winters. The problem is that the vast majority of houses have zero insulation and in the winter months you can feel really uncomfortable due to the insane levels of humidity and cold inside. Although I always felt bad during the winters, reality really struck during my first experience of winter in the UK, when I realized that I was much happier in winter there than I had ever been in Malta. Like many other countries, buildings there are well insulated and have good heating, so you can stay in your flip flops and shorts inside in winter. In Malta, I would be wearing jackets, long johns and a beanie and I’d still be uncomfortably cold.
One other big pain point: the roads. Malta’s road surfaces are among the worst in Europe and are more befitting of a third world country than a country that presents itself as being a hub of innovation and being on par with its European counterparts. Last year I tried taking the Brompton to Malta to cycle around during our holiday but ended up walking back home after 200 meters. There are way too many potholes, bumps, and uneven road surfaces to be able to ride a bike like that comfortably without damaging it. Not to mention the challenge of staying alive when riding a bike in Malta.
Some of my friends have been severely injured due to irresponsible driving or bad road surfaces, and one of them even died by the roadside after being run over by a youngster driving without a license. I won’t even get started on the Maltese judiciary, but I’ll just mention that after eight years this man has not been sentenced yet. See here and here for more great examples of Maltese incompetency where justice is concerned.
A related aspect is the lack of good pavements. Unfortunately, Malta is not a walkable place at all. We grow up getting accustomed to getting out of our houses and into the car to get whisked to wherever we need to be. This leads to people exercising less and the resulting obesity issues. Malta has the highest child obesity rate in Europe, and I believe the walkability issue is a significant contributor to the problem. Owning a car is almost a necessity and gives you the independence to go wherever you want. Public transport leaves a lot to be desired, and it only comes in the form of buses. There are no car or scooter sharing initiatives at all. Of course, we can all see with our own eyes that traffic has increased exponentially during the past twenty years, to the point that you are now guaranteed to get stuck in a traffic jam every time you go for a drive, at any time except during the night. Given that in general people tend to keep their cars far longer than the European average, we have a lot of pollution from vehicles and that affects everyone’s health.
Back to the lack of paving. In other countries, I got used to walking a lot, but in Malta it’s impossible to run any errands on foot except if you’re going around the corner from your house. Pavements seem to be an afterthought and come in all shapes and sizes. Some are tiled, some have rough surfaces, some are super narrow etc. What this also means is that we have a big problem with accessibility. One of the main highlights of my trips to Malta is spending time with my 93-year-old grandma, and I would love to be able to take her out for a walk while we chat about our lives. Alas, it’s pretty much impossible given the state of the pavements and the very close proximity of cars and trucks belching out exhaust.
Lastly, let’s come back to the idyllic island thing one more time. During the past thirty years, there has been way too much indiscriminate development. Many ugly buildings were built and a good part of them were built in areas that were meant to remain in their natural state. The result is an overexploited island where very few green areas remain. As a kid, I used to go out and play soccer with my friends in the fields nearby. This was commonplace wherever you lived in Malta. Nowadays there is no chance that kids would be able to do that.
A Times of Malta showing illustrating over development in Sliema and St. Julian’s.
Everything’s been built up, and as I said, it’s been one huge land rush with developers making big money while they exploited every inch of the island. Of course, this constant development has also brought with it a lot of air and noise pollution, apart from visual eyesores. We are now seeing an increasingly high rate of respiratory diseases, and frequent complaints about noise due to construction. Gozo, the other island, is currently at a very nice balance between nature and man-made buildings, but I’m afraid that the developers will turn their greedy eyes there next.
Over exploitation (umbrella rentals) of one Malta’s iconic spots – Blue Lagoon
How about the famous Smart City? Rather than attracting all the big IT companies and making Malta another silicon valley, as was originally promised, it’s been sitting there mostly empty. Moreover, it seems likely that it will soon be turned into another luxury apartment complex. This land had been given to the Smart City developers on condition that it will be used for ICT purposes, but it seems that the new fashion is to completely disregard such contracts. Real estate agents are already selling apartments on plan even though it is still technically an IT office center and there are absolutely no building plans in place to turn it into an apartment complex. Something similar happened just last year with the former ITS complex in Pembroke. Such free-for-all practices are very common when it comes to building and development.
It’s not only big developers who are the problem though. Many individuals have also constructed illegally while the authorities have turned a blind eye. There is a whole village of illegal properties in Armier bay, and no political party has done anything to remove them over many years.
Armier bay illegal construction.
To make matters worse, much of the remaining countryside is taken up by hunters who occupy whole swaths of land. Yes, in Malta bird hunting is a very popular past time, and incredibly just a few years ago a referendum to ban this barbaric practice in spring failed to get a majority backing. Any walk in the countryside is sure to be accompanied by the sounds of guns as the hunters try their best to blast every bird out of the sky.
A protected bird illegally shot down in Malta.
No wonder you will hardly see any birds in Malta. Illegal hunting is a widespread and serious problem, with poachers specifically targeting raptors (birds of prey) and Herons as well as rare migratory birds such as the Greater Flamingo, Black Stork and Eurasian Spoonbill, among others. Moreover, as I mentioned, hunters occupy a lot of public lands and block off access to hikers, mountain bikers and the regular folk who are out to enjoy a bit of countryside.
Sometimes people will challenge me by posing the question: “If Malta is so bad, why do so many foreigners fall in love with Malta and want to live here?”. I think that’s a very interesting question that merits delving into.
First of all, Malta is a very very unique place, for many reasons. It has a rich and varied history having been under the rule of several nations and cultures. Its size and geography is also unique, as is the fact that Maltese people have their own language. I can definitely see how these exotic qualities can be such a strong attraction for foreigners.
They would have never have experienced such an environment before, especially if they come from a big city/country where things are much more impersonal. Landing in Malta you tend to feel very welcome as people are very friendly and ready to help out, it feels like everybody treats you like family. This leads to foreigners saying hey, this is an awesome place to live in. Back home I’m just a number and nobody cares about anyone, but here everybody is so involved in each other’s lives, this is something special! I totally see why a foreigner would feel like this. I myself sometimes wish I were a foreigner so I could feel that way. If you don’t speak Maltese there is a better chance of insulating yourself from the daily gossip and mannerisms that end up getting on one’s nerves.
Here’s the thing though. While I acknowledge that some foreigners do move to Malta, love it and enjoy living there for many years, many others try the experience and leave after 3-4 years because they just can’t take the way things are done there. It’s one thing living a life of work-beach-party (Malta is the best place for that) and quite another when you decide to settle down, start dealing with the authorities, buy a house and try to get contractors to deliver quality work, etc etc.
People who are used to not having to struggle to get simple things done will start to get pissed off at how much time they’re spending dealing with seemingly innocuous tasks, and eventually end up leaving the island. Of course, the passage of time also amplifies the feeling of living in a very small place that acts like an echo chamber and innovation is stifled by the local way of life and culture, and that can also lead to one deciding to leave and live in a more open environment.
I guess I’ve written more than I meant to, the reality is that I really struggle to put my feelings into words, and that is why I don’t frequently share my thoughts on the subject. I prefer to focus on the positive things I have in my life rather than acting all pessimistic. My feelings about Malta at the end of the day are genuine sadness for what was once really an idyllic place that has been destroyed over the years. I would love to say that I hope to one day return, but I really can’t see how the culture can change and the harm due to construction undone.
P.S. While in this post I focused on the negative things about Malta that led me to leave, there is, of course, the flip side. There are many great things about Malta, and I do still think that it is a very good place for digital nomads to spend some time in.
2019 Update
It’s been more than two years since I wrote this post, and I’ve interacted with many people about the subject both in the comments section as well as over email exchanges. Unfortunately, not only has the situation in Malta not become any better since I wrote this, but things took a nasty turn for the worse.
The obvious big news item was the killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia in 2018, followed by several scandals in the political scene. During the last few months of 2019 we’ve seen Malta in the worldwide news for all the wrong reasons, with several top members of the governing party being forced to resign due to their misdeeds and connections to the murder.
As we close off the year, prime minister Joseph Muscat has been named ‘Person of the Year’ for organised crime and corruption by a consortium of investigative journalists.
It was a busy 12 months in the world of organized crime and corruption. But without further ado, here is our 2019 Person of the Year: https://t.co/oDVXs9EZYI#occrpaward #CorruptActor2019
— Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (@OCCRP) December 27, 2019
Dr Muscat joins a list of previous winners of the OCCPR’s yearly prize that includes strongmen such as Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijan’s Ilhan Aliyev, Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and the Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte.
“Under Muscat’s leadership, criminality and corruption have flourished — and in many cases gone unpunished,” the OCCPR said.
The organisation highlighted the way Dr Muscat had acted throughout the investigation into the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
I had intentionally avoided politicising things with my original post, as I don’t consider myself a supporter of a particular party in Malta, but things have really gone to new extremes with the Labour party in government led by Dr Muscat in recent years.
Not only have things become worse in Malta, but the country’s reputation overseas is at an all-time low due to this government’s shenanigans.
What is quite impressive to me is that the Maltese population by and large has been quite passive during this whole debacle. Not to mention that probably around half of the population still doesn’t think that anything irregular has taken place in the past few years, as witnessed by the kinds of comments you can see on the OCCPR’s announcement post. The kind of brainwashing on display is at least on par with that you would expect from people in communist countries with no access to outside information. To see people defending the prime minister and his cronies while hurling abuse at any detractors, Maltese or foreign, is just sad.
One would hope that the Maltese will choose better people in leadership, independently of which party they’re from, and avoid further damage to the country. It’s worth keeping in mind that right now, the Maltese economy seems to be doing very well, however I am of the opinion that this boom has not been very organic nor is it built on solid ground.
If we take an honest look at the last 15 years of growth in the Maltese economy, we would find that the big driver has been an artificially favourable tax system designed to attract foreign companies to relocate their business in Malta and thus gain huge tax benefits. That drove an influx of foreigners needed to staff the relocated companies (most of them online gaming companies), which in turn drove up property prices and helped build an impressive financial industry to service these aforementioned companies. If one of these pillars were to be affected by the scandals rocking the political scene, all the pieces will fall like dominoes causing a serious crisis in Malta.
Taking the Decision
Over the years since I’ve written this post, I’ve received many emails from (mostly young) people who identify with my feelings and are struggling with taking the decision.
I want to make it clear that while we live in an era where travel is very easy and affordable, uprooting yourself and moving to another country is still a significant psychological and logistical challenge for most people.
Here’s a copy of an email reply I sent to a person who reached out to ask for advice on how to approach the decision. I hope it can be of help to others in the same stage of their lives.
Every person who decides to leave their home country will have the fears and worries that you mention, that is perfectly normal.I had the same concerns myself when I was in the same situation. What I did was to sit down in a quiet place for an hour or so, take a pen and two sheets of paper. On one list the pros and the other the cons about moving. Take your time and let your heart and mind both outpour onto those two pages. When you’re done, you should have a clearer picture of what you should do. If it’s still not clear, assign a rating of 1-5 or 1-10 next to each point that you list, with 1 being of least importance and 10 being essential for you. Then add the scores up and hopefully one should be significantly higher than the other.Know that you can’t control what you’ll find on the other side, but you owe it to yourself to at least seek a betterment of your situation if that’s what you need to do.I have yet to come across anyone who regretted leaving a negative environment that bothered them (job, country, etc) but I have met plenty of older people who have significant regrets about not taking a chance on a better future when they were younger.
Further Reading
- Bloomberg – Why the EU is furious with Malta – covers problems that I mentioned in the post and other big issues that surfaced in the past year since I’ve written this post.
Lived here 3 1/2 yrs . I find it frusrating , chaotic , non sensical , noisy , dirty , backward the list goes on . Would leave tomorrow, happily leaving all my belongings etc , not in a position to do so though , Any one thinking of moving here , especially as a woman I certainly would not recommend it .
I am Maltese lived abroad 30 years abroad 10 years in South Africa and 20 years UK. I always wanted to come and live back home I used to come every year when i lived in UK. It is true Malta have lost that magic that once had too many concrete buildings which is ruining the country but saying that you can still find somewhere where you can enjoyed the beauty of island in peace. Also it is a country where you live outdoor and the Maltese knows how to enjoys live. Is a place where you feel secure and not scared to go out it is quite safe. Maltese families are very family oriented and children usually grows up in a good environment. Health services is very good, Malta is not perfect far from it things are changing not in a good way but quality of life is still good.
Unfortunately Malta has become a nightmare. Totally agree with all your points.
I would love to move to another country, but is easier said than done.
Hi Jean,
I completely agree with all your points and have lately been harbouring the same thoughts. Now, what is different is that I’m 19, turning 20 in November, and the thoughts started when I realised the disparity in the course curriculum of my course at UM compared to Universities abroad with courses far better equipped to deal current and future demands from employers in the job market, along with other disruptions.
I ask you, how did you finance your education abroad because right now, as most Maltese would think, the thing holding me back is simply the comfort. The comfort of being home, of a loving family, of friends I’ve known since the beginning of my life. However slowly I am starting to think that remaining in Malta and continuing a lfe on this island will only hinder my life experience in general, whether it be studies, job and social.
So my questions to you are, how did you finance your education abroad, and what helped you get over the hypothetical mental hump of being alone in a much larger place, and how long did it take to settle down?
The island mentality is a blessing and a curse, on one hand, we have free tertiary education, close-knit families, large friends groups where everyone knows each other and has known each other for a long time. But then one wonders, what lies on the other side of the wall when you get over these advantages and realise the opportunities that lie behind the “wall” in places such as mainland Europe, the Uk and North America.
Excuse me for rambling on, however this seemed like the appropriate place to vent out my thoughts and frustrations.
I look forward to your reply,
Adam
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Adam. All valid concerns that many people have when taking such a decision.
My answers:
1. I took two loans, one from my family and the other from the bank. It was around €25,000 at the time and given that I had close to no money to my name, it felt like a huge amount. On the other hand, it focused my attention on making my education a success, and I was able to repay my debts within three years of graduating.
2. University abroad was such an awesome experience for me that by the first week I was completely at ease, and I’m just saying this to compensate for any historical bias, because I would have told you from day one. The freedom and excitement that accompanied the move plus the incredible experience of living on campus and being at a big University just gave me a ton of adrenaline that helped me settle down easily. I quickly learned how to cook, clean my apartment, wash clothes etc. All things that had been taken care of back home (and I would have hated to do if my parents asked me), but they turned out not to be a big deal in the end. I might even add that I enjoyed these errands and chores. Cooking with a friend, cleaning while listening to a podcast, exploring the various foods at supermarkets, etc. was good fun.
The other big thing for me was that by living in a new country where nobody knew me I could act in a more authentic way. This is somewhat hard to explain, but when you grow up around the same group of people, it becomes very difficult to change your image and behavior later on in life, as there will be a subtle but powerful social pressure to avoid this change.
Hope that helps.
Thank you for writing this blog, it explains a lot of the questions I had on my first two days as a tourist in Malta.
Before visiting Malta, I knew only a bit about it. I knew a bit of its history, being a melting pot of different cultures and that’s it. The Instagram pictures also looked very nice, and I thought would be a nice place to visit and spend some days there. Well… very quickly I discovered I had very false expectations.
It was quite sad to see the horrible new constructions devouring the island like a cancer. I don’t understand why from one side Valleta is left to rumble (and other parts as well) with lots of empty/abandoned buildings and from the other hand new buildings are being build instead of restoring of the old ones first. The historical heretige is very impressive but unfortunately the government negligence to maintain it is quite depressing.
As for the “jewel of the Mediterran” I am not sure about that. Sure it has the potential to be one of the top spots of the Europe, but at the current stage doesn’t seems like even in the top half. The pollution, public transport, lack of urban planning, shady business practices and level of service leaves a lot to be desired.
I really wish to see things change for better in Malta as it looks like a place with a lot of potential. Like this, I am quite sure that as some point tourist will cease to come.
Agreed, unless there is a serious change in the course of things, it is inevitable that the current economic success will turn sour.
Enjoyed reading your synopsis. My partner’s name is Albert Galea. Are you related? He is from San Francisco.
I don’t believe so Keith. My surname is very common in Malta.
Very interesting article. I am an ex-pat north american exploring life abroad (I also have UK and ECOWAS nationality). I am currently in Alexandria, Egypt having ruled out Cyprus (both north and south) last year. There are comparisons and contrasts between Alexandria and Malta, the obvious one being cultural which I must admit has been an adjustment. I haven’t ruled out Malta altogether, but Cape Verde is high on my list but meanwhile, Alexandria is home and very well may be for the rest of my life. A 100% idyllic nation is the Kingdom, and that has not come yet…soon though and it’s not far from here, lol.
Interesting perspective, thanks. I’ve yet to visit Alexandria and Cape Verde. I’d be interested to know your reasons for having these places on your list as I hadn’t come across many people mentioning them.
I wholly agree with your comments. I just want to add that I recently had to employ a lawyer to deal with the sale of a property in Malta. The whole matter was dealt with so unprofessionally and I am certain the Lawyer paid himself very well before he paid us. I also employed a lawyer in Gozo to obtain some documents on behalf of my father. She wanted money up front which I paid and never heard from her again despite numerous phone calls and emails. As far as I am concerned most Lawyers in Malta are corrupt and look after themselves and not the client.. I find the people in Malta can be so ignorant and just as long as they are ok stuff everyone else.
I think it’s a reflection of how the country is run. Greed rules and long-term thinking does not exist.
I was born in Malta many moons ago, my Mother took us back to the UK after the war having lost our father who was Maltese. 22 years ago having lost my husband I decided to return to Malta to live. I have had a good life there but over the years have seen many changes not for the best. Unfortunately now Malta is beyond repair, it is not the quaint little island we used to love but a island of concrete, dirty pavements, bad roads, noise, pollution etc etc. Sure the sea is beautiful but one does not live in the sea, and even that is now polluted with fish farms and sewage outflows.
Quite a few of my friends who were resident in Malta have left and relocated elsewhere. I am also spending more time in the UK now with full intention of remaining. I feel sorry for my island Malta.
I bought a property in Malta 15 years ago .
Malta was a nicer place then .
It changed big time since joining the EU .
Money poured into malta and first the Buses went , a tradition that is lost !!
This was the start !!
Next the roads , the developers , the prices in the shops went up , Ryanair came in and this overwhelmed the country with tourists !!
The buses provide a very bad service and for a few years I sent emails to them but nothing changes !! They want you to have a car !!
The Maltese business people along with the government began the process of building and a boom started , greed has set in !!
The planing does not protect the islands !!
The government has had no leadership to protect malta 🇲🇹.
I am now selling up and leaving , and will either go to Spain or Portugal .
I never taught I would do this !!
Sorry but it’s true .
Gerard ,.
All true. The funny thing is that most Maltese people actually believe that the boom will never end, and are happy to “invest” in real estate properties at the current inflated prices in anticipation of further growth in the years ahead. I think it is much more likely that more people will follow your footsteps and move to countries like Spain or Portugal where you can get much more value for your money.
Well said it’s about time a Maltese person spoke there mind very true words if I had written this you know what I would have endured GO BACK TO YOUR OWN COUNTRY
Quote from 2019 update:
Hi Jean,
Some links to the articles concerning the PL and their attitude to foreign nationals from recent times.
https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/coronavirus-xenophobia-is-driving-some-foreigners-away.800772
Quote from the above link:
‘The government on Thursday afternoon issued what it described as a ‘clarification’ after a government spokesman told Times of Malta that the vouchers would only be issued to the people listed on the General Elections Electoral Register.
The story caused uproar among foreigners who work and pay taxes in Malta, with many complaining of blatant discrimination. Some said they would limit their spending in Malta to the bare minimum as retaliation or transfer their taxes elsewhere.
When the vouchers were originally announced on Monday week, Prime Minister Robert Abela had said they would be distributed to all residents of Malta aged over 16. Five €20 vouchers will be issued to every resident, four to be spent in hotels, restaurants and bars, and the remaining to be spent at shops which were also closed during the COVID-19 emergency.
Concerns were sparked after an EU national posted on the Facebook group Expats Malta how she had been told by two budget helpline operators that only Maltese citizens are eligible.
…’
It is certainly one Thing to read the usual xenophobic trash of the ‘Narzist’ idiots on comment facilities of the English language Maltese media and one can do with ignoring them, but when the government of a state and this from a Party like the PL who should by their own political leaning not be xenophobic at all, takes such actions like in the quoted article which is just one example from recent times and not from last year with Dr Muscat still PM, then it gets a real different meaning and taste.
Many of the above quoted expressions are resembling strongly what I have had to read in the UK media for the past four years since this Brexit idiocy has ‘influenced’ some British minds.
It’s really O.K. for me when you keep similiar experiences which you might have made since you’re living in the UK to yourself. Maybe these just two articles can show you how things are back in Malta.
‘Merhaba fil’Malta (?)’.
I think that in future I will think three times again before I am going to book another holiday in Malta. It is really like some other foreign national commentators on your blog who have lived and worked there for year are telling, the new attitude of the Maltese appears to be like in that phrase of the most by me despised former UK PM Mrs May like ‘come in do your Business and then leave’. In other words translated it also means (to me) ‘get in spend your money and then ‘F.O.”. Well, the UK will soon see how far one gets in this world by continuing with this attitude.
Just one quoted passage from your update:
‘One would hope that the Maltese will choose better people in leadership, independently of which party they’re from, and avoid further damage to the country. It’s worth keeping in mind that right now, the Maltese economy seems to be doing very well, however I am of the opinion that this boom has not been very organic nor is it built on solid ground.’
The ‘better people’ or say just one of these, Mr Simon Busuttil, who could make a change is now in Brussels working for the EPP Group and this because the PN hangs on to a man who has apparently no qualities in leadership and is also despised by those who seek ‘Justice for Daphne’.
The economy in Malta is about to face a ‘speedy road downwards’ with tourism rather slowly getting started for this year and headlines like the above quoted are no ‘invitation’ for a holiday in Malta rather the reverse.
Greed leads to ruin and arrogance comes before the fall but this is of no concern to some politicians and less so to those xenophobes which one can really find in every country, not ‘only in Malta’ or like some other Maltese commentator in the Times always uses to abbreviate ‘O.I.M.’.
Sorry for having to comment to your blog with all these negative passages as they reflect on the current reality in Malta.
Best wishes to you anyway.
Sahha,
Thomas
Quote from above link:
‘Go back to your country’: How coronavirus xenophobia is driving foreigners away
Some foreign nationals living in Malta say they are leaving the country – or have already left – because of feelings of increased xenophobia during the pandemic.
Dozens of people came forward on social media when asked by Times of Malta about the reasons, excluding job loss, for choosing to move on from the country they had called home.
Common answers included the growing cost of living, corruption, over-development and pollution. However, most cited an increasing feeling of xenophobia since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and described it as “the last straw” when making their final decision.
“Originally we had planned to stay in Malta until we passed away, but not with a situation where you get so much hatred,” says Karin Perez Deldgado. She and her husband returned to Germany in recent weeks after almost five years in Malta.
The couple enjoyed their first three-and-a-half years on the island, but said things started to decline and they felt harassed and threatened in their neighbourhood of Balzan.
“We heard ‘go back to your country’ one too many times,” says Karin who believes intolerance worsened with the pandemic.
“Everyone was blaming foreigners for COVID. So I stayed at home for two months. I can’t even count how many times I cried.”
Another woman preparing to leave the islands on the first available flight next month is Justyna Majcher. She and her son will move to Poland after living here for 12 years.
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Two particular government missteps during the pandemic were defining moments. The first took place just weeks after coronavirus hit Malta when Economy Minister Silvio Schembri told parliament: “When foreign workers lose their jobs, they will have to go back to their country.” The minister later apologised.
One Irish businesswoman, who has lived in Malta for 12 years, says the couple plan to leave next year. “I cried for hours after the economy minister made his statements. He should have been forced to resign. We have tirelessly tried to integrate because we thought the Maltese people shared our values of respect, humanity and sense of justice. Foreigners are not the enemy.”
The second incident was when the government announced it will give €100 vouchers to everyone aged over 16 to spend in local businesses in an attempt to boost the economy. However, when some EU citizens tried to access the vouchers, they were told only people on the general elections voter registry were eligible. The news caused mass outrage on social media and forced a government U-turn. Many described feeling ‘discriminated’ against, including one British couple who have changed their minds about spending the rest of their days here.
“We felt we were being treated unfairly, especially as we contribute financially and also do all we can to look after our area. We have found that locals seem a lot less tolerant of foreigners since the start of coronavirus. We have been told we should not be out walking our dogs because we are British and should ‘go back to where we came from’.”
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https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/foreigners-resident-in-malta-to-get-vouchers.799455
We agree with every word. Me and my partner recently relocated to spain for these exact reasons. And sometimes it feels like malta is a nutcase as so many dont see these things.
I used to live in Naxxar and later in Mellieha.
Every word you say is unfortunately, true. A beautiful island – completely ruined. The pollution was getting so bad, my husband ended up in Meter Dei with heart failure! We are now living in the UK and what you say about the Maltese winters is so, so true! Bone achingly cold inside -then getting gassed with the gas-heater. Dressing gown on in bed, anyone?
I can’t recount how many times I’ve nearly been driven off the road by a pick-up determined to hog the centre-line, especially down those hair-raising bends across the valley (and by-pass), Mellieha!
We were beginning to feel like prisoners in our own home. Valletta for lunch? If you get in a car-park about 7.30am! ditto my favourite place, Mdina. If you do venture out, no chance of parking outside your own home on your return – no way!
I have just completed 3 years of research for my book, set in Malta. It is called Saints & Cynics and is a ‘Dan Brown – style, conspiracy novel; all about the Elongated skulls of Malta. Lots of atmosphere about real life in Malta and a fantastic, well researched story. It is with my publisher, as I write. If you would like a copy, please do get in touch via e-mail.
It has been a pleasure reading your article and brought a smile to my face. Would I go back and live there? No chance!
My wife and I visited Malta for a month in 2019 and stayed on Gozo also. We travel around the world full-time, and I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. Something like a Greek island like Crete perhaps?
Wow, unfortunately I was unpleasantly surprised. Gridlocked roads, choking pollution from exhaust fumes, impossible to walk anywhere, trash lining the streets. Gozo was slightly better in these respects, but still seemed very anti-pedestrian.
I was wondering if I was being unfair in this regard, and had a look on the Numbeo pollution index https://www.numbeo.com/pollution/rankings_by_country.jsp?title=2020®ion=150
Malta apparently has the 4th highest pollution in Europe (behind far less developed countries like North Macedonia and Albania), and it really shows.
As I say, Gozo was slightly better, but not great. We were surprised to find that we had to regularly check a jellyfish map due to the frequency with which they crop up at local beaches, probably due to global warming/pollution as per here:
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20120405-blooming-jellyfish-problems
Overall, I’m really not clear why it seems to remain so popular as a holiday destination.
Yes, the jellyfish problem is quite big in summer. It’s due to global warming and the fact that there are less predators like turtles that used to be quite common in previous decades.
Brilliant! Thank you for writing this! Was considering moving to Malta, or at least maybe take a trip there, but was a bit cautious about the propagandistic glossed over version which is presented to people which every location can have. So this piece of writing is something that I needed, to open my eyes, to get some REAL TRUTH into what it is like to be in Malta. Thank u very much ^^ It was most helpful! And you sound like you are loving it more after Malta which is great! To me it means that you’re loving your life more, and this is important. Hope u are doing well, And again Thank you for writing this! I am from Bulgaria looking for where to go and this was great and helpful ^^ You are great <3
Welcome Erik. I’ve been to Sofia and really enjoyed my time there.
This was a nice reading. I visited Malta lately and one thing i noticed was plastic 2-liter bottles filled with liquids on the pavement in front of houses. I was wondering what is the purpose of them. First i thought it’s part of maltese garbage system as there were garbage bags lying on the street. Can you tell the reason of placing those bottles outside of houses?
Hehe that’s a good one. I believe it dissuades dogs or cats from peeing on their facades. I’d have to check the science behind that one…
Much is true of what you said about the phase changes Malta is gone through and sadly still going through with much more to come. I have been living abroad for the past eleven years and I visit Malta to see my family which I miss obviously and throughout them years I’ve witnessed changes out and about such as building development and increased traffic etc.
These greedy land developers see only euro signs on their eyeballs! And have no thought for the islands heritage and the government must step in big time as for the traffic situation it is a nightmare from day time to nightime! And again the government must bring a halt to the increasing vehicles on the roads because the roads are choked with cars everywhere everytime. And if he thinks that flyovers are the remedy for the constant traffic congestion well he has another thing coming cause it doesn’t! And this drilling the island’s rock foundation for flyovers and demolishing buildings to rebuild new ones only disturbs the dormant foundation of the the island and recently a tragedy occurred with a woman being buried alive whom sadly passed away from these unthinkable projects!
And i see her sister island Gozo becoming the next victim in these unthinkable projects!
Malta has changed with the new breed of mentality and this breed don’t ever see Malta as the previous generations before them did.
Despite beingbthe jewel of the Mediterranean and the wars it went throughout from centuries of war from the great siege to world war two it persevered as we use the phrase ‘miskina Malta’ but regretfully the present generation of big shots cannot see that as they are blind to their greed for power and profit!
Hope to hear from you soon as sometimes life abroad can get lonesome!
i do not agree one bit at ll in what she is saying, my wife and and a couple of inlaws , we loved malta and hope to go and visit one day,i do not know
what she expected to find.. look it is very hard to fined a better place than
but to us malta is a very close second
I’ve finally left Malta for good and this article is the only thing which gives me comfort. All I get is, “Malta is so nice. Sunny beaches. Why would you leave it?” And with the collapsing building killing people it’s confirmed that it’s too dangerous to live in. Unfortunately we’re so insignificant, that no one bothers to check whether we’re a third world shithole or not. My only dream is that one thay the UN/EU realises how horrific we are and demotes us to turd in the middle of the Mediterranean
I am a Spaniard living in Malta for the past 13 years (some factors led me to that, but that is besides the point here) and I cannot agree more with your article.
Malta could have been a great country and my criticism is more based on the pain I feel of seeing negative aspects that could easily be corrected/changed (and I am afraid they never will) and with the eyes of someone that wants this country to thrive and get better as, after all, it has been my home for many years than the eyes of a foreigner that is comparing everything to his/her beloved and perfect country without trying to shift the perspective to look at things in a different way and without understanding that the contexts are just different (I am long pass that).
Sometimes I have the feeling that I want this country to improve much more than most Maltese…
In any case, and just to finish off, just wanted to say that I totally subscribe your points and if I have to write an article why I cannot stand this country any longer, I suspect it would look similar to yours.
In normal conditions a foreigner wouldn’t last more than three years in Malta out of frustration, stiffliness, lack of enforcement, as well as green areas, education, manners civism, openness and cultural scene.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, unfortunately, I have to agree with everything you say.
Very nice and heartfelt article. I live in Bangalore, India, and I know exactly what you mean by non-existent and non-standard roads, callous authorities, illegal construction, poor governance overall.