Dear Malta,

As a Maltese citizen living in the UK, you are afforded the right to vote in the local and general elections, as well as referendums. You live there, you work hard, you pay your taxes, you contribute to National Insurance, and no doubt care about the way in which the country is run. In return and in acknowledgement of that, the British government affords you the right to register on the electoral role, cast a vote, and have a say in the way that country you call “home” is run. Ok sometimes these elections and referendums can have disastrous results in the case of David Cameron and the dread “B-word” (never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers), but at least people who live in that country are given the right to have their say.

Why is this courtesy not extended to those British citizens who permanently reside in Malta? We are business owners, employees and employers, taxpayers, VAT payers, social security contributors, we rent property, shop locally, and spend our hard-earned pennies on leisure activities day in and day out, so why should we not be allowed to have a say in electing decision makers and lawmakers?

If you want to be technical about it, the reason that Maltese citizens are allowed to vote in the UK is that as a member of the British Commonwealth, we do not consider you foreigners, but rather as Commonwealth Citizens. Again, I ask, why should we not be treated as such when we are here? It smacks of double standards to me.

The political scene here is dominated by two key players – Labour and Nationalist – the other parties that try to break into the arena are often dismissed and pushed to one side. It is one big game of political ping-pong, interspersed with sleaze, allegations of corruption, and of course, a big dose of boys' club nepotism.

So why exactly do the political parties not want to give non-Maltese the vote? Is it perhaps to do with the fact that they are worried that this delicate bi-partisan balance could be disrupted by several thousand votes from individuals who do not have familial, societal, or traditional ties to the PL or PN? I imagine that this is the case. Every general election is won by a whisker with a couple of thousand votes because everyone votes for whom their family has always voted for and very few change sides later in life. Should you throw into the mix the votes of others who do not have ties or loyalties to a particular party and are voting purely based on the strength of the policies, pledges, promise, and performance, I believe that things would be very different.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that every Tom, Dick, and Harry who moves over here from the UK in search of a bit of sunshine and R&R should be entitled to cast a vote. What I am suggesting is that anyone holding a residence card who is employed, pays taxes, and has been here for a minimum of five or even 10 years should be given the right to vote in the national elections. If you can prove that not only are you domiciled here, but that you have put down roots and intend on staying for the foreseeable future, why should you not be allowed to have a say? It seems that the powers that be are quite happy to have us here, take a percentage of our paycheques, and have the Maltese diaspora in the UK vote in our elections, yet do not want to allow us to be involved in any part of the local democratic process.

A democracy is defined as a system whereby power is given to the population of that state, to elect individuals, and groups of individuals to represent them in decision- and law-making at the highest level. All I am saying is that to be completely democratic, you cannot ignore over 5000 Brits (whose government let your own citizens vote in their country), nor can you realistically ignore more than 12,000 other EU citizens that live, work, and have families here. I appreciate that asking to extend the vote to all EU citizens that live and work here would be completely unreasonable, but why not the Brits?

Yes, I know, I am a foreigner and if I don’t like it then I should go back to my own country as some of you are so fond of saying, but actually, I am quite happy here and have absolutely no intention of leaving. Furthermore, while I am here, while I pay my taxes, while I contribute to society, the economy, banks, local businesses, and more, I will continue to say loudly and boldly, what I think and what I believe in.

In this instance, I am fully within my rights to say that if a Maltese citizen who lives in the UK is allowed to vote in our elections, then British citizens residing here should have the same right. We are allowed a say in electing our local councillors and MEPs but why are we excluded from being involved in the big things that have an impact on every single aspect of our daily life?

This topic of voting and eligibility brings to light other issues such as why are naturalised citizens not allowed to vote? And while we are talking about citizenship, why does the government advertise eligibility at five years, when in fact it only considers it after 18 years? (Unless of course you are incredibly rich and are prepared to sign a cheque for €1.2 million.) These are matters for another day and another article, but I feel it just highlights some shortcomings that could do with being addressed when it comes to rights, rules, regulations, and benefits granted to “foreigners” who call this country home.

Perhaps the government and the Opposition should put some thought into giving such a large number of the population a right to vote them into power, or at the very least allowing naturalised citizens to vote. Yes, that does mean that they will have to pull their fingers out and make a bit more effort when it comes to policies, keeping promises, and keeping their hands clean, but surely this is only a good thing? I hear so many complaints from Maltese friends and associates on how Maltese politics has become stagnant and repetitive, so perhaps a shakeup of the system, and a new audience to impress and win over could be just the jumpstart that this country needs.

Yours sincerely,

A foreigner whose political opinion doesn’t matter because she cannot vote anyway.