In the last few weeks, during the MLP leadership contest campaign, we have been hearing a lot of nonsense about our fellow Maltese who live or study abroad. These fellow citizens are the latest target of the Labour Party. Their cannons have been turned on them.
It’s amazing how the Labour Party is so capable of creating enemies in different sectors. During the campaign, the students were the target. Now, after the election, it’s the turn of the Maltese who live abroad.
Instead of thanking the Maltese living abroad for doing their duty and coming over to vote in the election, they are now being the target of venom and all kinds of threats from the main exponents of the Labour Party. The outgoing MLP leader himself, Alfred Sant, has mentioned this subject in Parliament, and said that he “has” a list of the people who did their duty and came to Malta to vote. Obviously, the subtle message was one of threat. But obviously, our fellow Maltese living abroad need not to worry, and should not be threatened by these unethical tactics. The Labour Party exponents are simply clutching at straws to alienate their voters from the real reason for which they lost the election after 20 years in opposition; the fact that they were not trusted by the Maltese electorate over and over again.
It’s amazing that while the Nationalist Party is always thinking of ways to expand democracy, the MLP is constantly in a destructive mood. Their revenge urge easily takes over and they constantly think of ways to restrict democracy. Their mindset originates from the old communist books of Eastern Europe. They crave for government control – big government and individual restrictions. For years they have insisted on reintroducing the embarkation cards, where circumstances dictated otherwise.
They claim to be European, but act completely opposite. It’s amazing how at the end of the day, the paranoid, control freak Labour Party mentality prevails. While the European Union is all about individual freedom, and less government involvement, the Labour Party is obsessed with our movements, where we live and where we work. They have not even realised that we form part of the Schengen Treaty and that we have the right to live, work and travel to all the places within the EU without any questions being asked by any authorities. This concept is accepted by everyone except the Malta Labour Party. They claim to be European only when it’s convenient, and as part of the PR campaign. Being European, thinking European and acting European is much more than that.
Most modern democracies are constantly thinking of ways to widen their democracy by expanding the electorate base. They are also thinking of new ways to vote. Are these new methods beyond the comprehension of the Labour Party? Due to their control freak paranoia, will they ever accept any changes in the way we vote? Countries like the US, Italy, UK, etc, allow numerous citizens beyond the ones residing in the country to vote. In Italy, for example, a number of seats in the chambers are reserved for representatives of Italians living abroad. The same concept applies to the US and UK citizens. In the current US primaries, for example, US residents and registered voters are allowed to download their voting document from the internet and send it by post.
Residence is not defined as physical residence only. It also comprises residents living abroad. Today the term residence is expanded to its widest definition possible. No political party will be able to sabotage our freedoms and the rights we gained through EU membership. EU freedom of movement is here to stay, irrespective of whether this concept irritates the Labour Party or not. They have no business to interfere in our lives and in our freedom of movement.
The Labour Party tried to jeopardise and stop fellow Maltese from voting in 2003 during the referendum campaign, but they lost the court case. Definition of residence was not restricted but broadened by the Maltese courts. Fellow Maltese living abroad should not feel threatened by the Labour Party and the lists they claim to have.
We should not be surprised that the Labour Party acts in this way, given the way they act within the Labour Party itself. Even within the party they act in a destructive way. Each clique tries to destroy the other. They are all paranoid, and this behaviour reflects on the way they look at the Maltese citizens.
Hopefully, in the future the Maltese political parties will keep on expanding the electoral base and finding new ways for the Maltese citizens to express their vote, even if we have to face the paranoid and backward-looking Labour Party. However, change is inevitable.
We should encourage our citizens to broaden their horizons. They can venture beyond our shores, study and work abroad. For this they should not be punished. I am sure that most of them remain in close contact with Malta; they stay abreast of what’s happening in the country and maintain constant interest.
At the end of the day, we should be grateful for the sacrifice that these voters endured to travel all the way to Malta, just to exercise their basic right to vote.
David Agius is the Nationalist Party’s parliamentary whip