The government has announced that Air Malta will be laying on a subsidised flight for Maltese voters living abroad to be able to cast their vote in the upcoming European Parliament elections.

For those eligible, the return flights will cost €35 inclusive of taxes and other charges. Inbound travel is allowed from 14 May to 24 May and outbound travel is allowed from 17 May (Early voting day) and 24 May to 1 June.

Moreover, tickets are also made available to the child or step-child of such person under the age of eighteen years as well as the spouse of such a person.

That sounds like a very cheap holiday back home. This government, although very cagey in some matters, has lived up to its progressive theme, it has to be said. We saw the introduction of gay marriage, changing drug laws and many other things are also in the pipeline.

So how about voting by proxy as one of them? It is ludicrous to think that in this information based age, we still have to get onto a plane and physically cast our vote. Forgetting that many people could not give two hoots about this election, we have to ask the question as to why?

Why can Maltese citizens not vote by post or through a secure internet connection? Why can they not just go into the embassy in the country where they live and cast their vote? We simply cannot understand the reasoning.

These systems should have been in place 20 years ago, but no. The government is offering subsidised flights to allow people their fundamental right to do so. In the past, it was understandable. But not in this day and age. Many countries even allow people to vote by post, and yet we cannot organise a system whereby people can do it from afar.

This government has the opportunity to do this. It has shown that it can get moving and get things done. If introduced, voting by proxy would save taxpayers money. It would also make the lives of those who do not want to come back to Malta to vote a lot easier. Moreover, it would signal a move of trust, showing Maltese people that the administration (whichever colour it may be) trusts in our democracy enough to allow it to happen. The PL has a massive majority in parliament, and unless something catastrophic happens, it will probably have a large one in four years time. We reiterate, this must be done and it most be done before any other poll that is held in Malta.