Today is our Day of Reflection. We sit and ponder what to do with ourselves and suddenly find that this time which is free of politics is actually quite refreshing and relaxing.

We have said it time and time again. What’s the point of it all really? With today’s social media generation, the law which bars the reporting of anything political is simply outdated and totally non sensical.

This year, we published stories in which it was stated that Malta had one of the highest ratios of information requests to Facebook and it turned out to be that this was because the police had requested information related to the breach of our electoral laws. We wonder if it will be the case again this year. But it really does beg the question... why are newspapers barred by this law for two editions, and why are internet portals and other instant media barred from reporting anything political for 24 hours before the poll?

It just does not make any sense. As we have already stated, the social media still go wild in the hours leading up to the election, so there is no period of reflection at all.

We’ve used this expression about five years on the trot now – the law is about as useless as a chocolate tea pot.

Malta, while moving ahead in leaps and bounds in terms of most civil liberties seems to harbour a hangover when it comes to elections time. And so, this is the result. Waffle. Everyone – including the media, the politicians themselves, government, radio hosts, television presenters and more, are jsut going to waffle until Sunday.

The issue is not in finding other things to write about and bring to the attention of the public, but the fact that this law is obsolete, outdated, out of touch and – even if the authorities wanted to  - impossible to enforce. What are we going to do? Ask one of the most life changing companies the world has seen for information about who posted anything political in the run up to the election? That is a great way to show our credentials as a modern, open and liberal society.

And well and truly, what are we supposed to reflect about? We should just get with it and realise that it is not 1970 anymore, it is the year 2014 and we are supposed to be a mature democracy. We have changed so many laws and are in the process of changing so many others. Isn’t it about time that this one was  changed as well?