Not voting is not the best way to change things

Malta goes to the polls on Saturday 30 May and by Monday morning it will have a prime minister being sworn in at the President’s Palace in Valletta.

The prime minister will either be incumbent Robert Abela or Alex Borg. They will then have to choose their Cabinet from the members we elect to parliament.

Bar a situation where a third-party candidate or candidates do get elected, which can possibly change the dynamics of governance, on Monday 1 June, Malta will officially have a Labour or Nationalist government.

The composition of parliament and the formation of government will happen irrespective of how many people would have voted.

The above statements may be obvious; childish even. But they are statements of fact, which no abstention can alter. Not voting allows others to determine the outcome of the election for you. It is only those who vote that get to determine, who will govern Malta for the next five years.

We understand that many feel disenfranchised because they feel that they vote for becomes irrelevant when more powerful, hidden forces always get their way. We understand that some may feel aggrieved by a decision or lack of, that impacted their personal circumstances. We understand that some may be totally uninterested in politics and its machinations. We know there may be thousands of personal reasons why someone may opt not to vote.

Not voting is a choice and we respect that. But we also understand that voting in a democracy is a fundamental exercise that helps shape the country’s present and future. It determines who gets to make laws in parliament and not just who governs. This is not a minor thing. There have been instances where the actions of individual MPs have brought about meaningful change. Divorce and cancer patients’ right to be forgotten were the result of individual MPs who pushed for legislation by convincing others to tag along.

On Saturday there will be thousands who will decide to abstain. You may be one of these voters. But before making that decision, we urge you to consider your options carefully. You can vote for political parties other than the one or ones you are irked off with. It would help bring about meaningful change, or if you prefer, teach the other side a lesson.

And even if you cannot bring yourself to break with family voting tradition, you can still decide to vote tactically by choosing the best individual candidates within the same party and ignoring the rest.

Not voting is not the best way of changing things. If you want things to be different, you have to vote for that to happen. So, on Saturday, irrespective what your political affiliation or inclination is, the best way to influence things is to go out and vote. It is a right our forefathers and foremothers fought for—it should not be taken for granted and neither dismissed as an inconvenience. On 30 May, we urge you to vote.