Wednesday, May 7, 2014



Election Holiday

The European Parliament’s election is just round the corner.  Votes are already being distributed while arrangements are being made for Maltese living abroad to come to vote in Malta.

The later arrangement makes me sick as this is nothing but giving a cheap holiday in Malta to those Maltese who are living abroad.  The problem is that indirectly it is you and me who are subsidizing this holiday.  I do not know who is paying for this subsidy, whether it is the government of Malta or Air Malta.  For me it is just the same as the Government of Malta pays out of the taxation I pay while if it is Air Malta, I will be paying this subsidy through higher prices Air Malta charges.

But does this mean that we should deny those Maltese living abroad the right to vote?  Definitely not.  A simple arrangement would be to provide voting facilities to these Maltese in the Malta Embassies.  If the political parties feel that they should monitor the voting in these locations there would be nothing to stop the political parties to have representatives as long as they pay for their stay. 

In this way, the rights of all – local taxpayers, Maltese living abroad and the political parties – would have their right secured.