Of voter fraud, vanquished democracy and bleak futures

Unfortunately, it would seem that the Nationalist Party and the other parties are not really realising the full implications of the identity cards scandal which has plagued Identity Malta recently. Labour seems to have hit on the perfect formula to perpetuate a bigger voter fraud exercise on the electorate, which is more pervading and more hard hitting than that perpetuated in 2013. They had promised everything to everyone and all they delivered was favours and appointments to persons close to the inner circle of the Prime Minister, and the rest of the population left languishing with the begging bowl as well as unfulfilled promises for good measure.

The scandal of the identity card fraud, (at the end of the day, that is exactly what it is) when people, undoubtedly Labour leaning, are issued with more than one identity card and consequently more than one voting document can have frightening repercussions reverberating throughout society and democracy. Labour has hit on the perfect method for 'producing' votes for itself. It has created the perfect votes 'factory', practically guaranteeing itself not only an electoral victory but an electoral victory with a huge majority of votes so that a two thirds majority of the Parliamentary seats in favour of Labour as a result of this voter / identity card fraud cannot really be either discounted nor excluded.

It is against this scenario that one has to consider the result of this huge voter fraud. Labour having a two thirds majority in Parliament practically means that it can get rid of anyone, including judges who do not deliver judgements considered as 'acceptable' to Labour. The result is the total vanquishing of democracy as we know it and the guaranteeing of a future for our children and grandchildren which would be disastrous as it would shatter their hopes and aspirations.

The reality of the situation is such that the Nationalist Party, or any other party for that matter, can do precious little about it. When one considers especially that Labour has already denied that such a scandal actually exists, and the Electoral Commission is practically ignoring the (let’s be kind here) 'allegations' as if they do not exist, despite documentation published by The Malta Independent on Sunday proving the contrary.

This essentially means that the proper exercise to ensure that the most basic requirement of democracy, that of one voter one vote, will be practically rendered meaningless through voter fraud and manipulation with no intervention either from the Prime Minister, who is in charge of Identity Malta or from the Electoral Commission which is charged with ensuring the proper conduct of democratic elections.

It is perhaps time for the guardians of our Constitution, including Her Excellency the President of the Republic, to take all necessary steps. This should include the possible supervision of the process by an independent commission with representation of all parties, but with a Labour minority, to supervise the whole process of ensuring that double or more votes have not been issued to the same person, with the obvious consequence that that person would be issued with more than one voting document.

The possible consequences of an escalation of the present situation are too disastrous to even consider. The institutions enjoined by law to safeguard our Constitution have a duty to fulfil in order to prevent a situation whereby historians in the future might feel justified in saying that “Once there was a democratic Malta”, by which time the future of our children and grandchildren would be all but vanquished forever. Joseph Bonello Naxxar