Malta’s political system
Can Malta’s political system be improved?
The dominance of just two political parties in Malta is something that we have gotten used to, and barely question anymore. We’ve heard the arguments made in the past, that a vote for a third party is a protest vote, or is a waste of a vote. That is simply not true.
First of all, let us point out that no matter what a person does with their vote, there is no such thing as a wasted vote. Your vote is your own, and who you vote for and what party you vote for is your choice. Even not voting is a vote against the system.
Having two dominant parties has its pros. For example, the country does not face issues forming a government, due to the party receiving most votes finding problems forming a coalition with others, as has happened in other countries in the past. But it also has serious cons. For instance, the party in government can, should it want to, run roughshod over everyone else, and push through legislation without really listening.
The biggest problem is the polarization that the system has created. There are still too many people who will follow their party to the ends of the earth, even if that is not good news for the country. That is dangerous.
The idea of going to your politician for political favours needs to end, as it does absolutely no good for the country.
This requires a mentality shift.
There is a good portion of the population who fluctuate their votes depending on what they feel are the best policies, who they believe is the best choice at a particular moment in time. These are the so called swing voters. As time passes, one hopes that this group will continue to grow.
We have also seen too many Ministers and MPs involved in scandals over the years. The political parties have to do better when it comes to vetting their candidates. The Labour Party, especially, has had many shortcomings over recent years, if one were to look at the scandals involving people coming from its ranks.
So what about the third parties? Well for one having a third party in Parliament could result in more diverse opinions being brought forward. Nowadays, there are only two opinions debated in Parliament.
Then, of course, there is the idea of full-time MPs. A PL candidate mentioned it during an interview with The Malta Independent on Sunday. Naomi Cachia was asked if she supports the idea of full time MPs in the Maltese Parliament, an issue which she said is often raised in the Parliamentary Assembly in the Council of Europe each time there is a report on Malta. “On paper, yes, I support it. However, we are a small island, and our resources are what they are, and so having a full time Parliament would mean that we may struggle to attract a more diverse pool of candidates”, she said. She is right, and it is not a straightforward issue. There are arguments in favour and against. But perhaps it’s time that the discussion is had once and for all.