Oisin Jones-Dillon, St Paul's Bay
Non-Maltese EU citizens: Discrimination?
I refer to recent media reports that the Electoral Commission has begun accepting voter registration application forms from non-Maltese EU citizens.
Following representations made by AD - The Green Party to the European Parliament Valletta Office on behalf of the 11,000 resident non-Maltese EU citizens denied their lawful right to enrol on the Maltese electoral register for the forthcoming European Parliament elections, the Electoral Commission reviewed its stance and decided to bring forward the non-Maltese EU voter registration opening date from next year to October 1. (Electoral Office Discriminating Against EU Citizens, AD Claims, (August 8).
However, even though all 12,000 resident non-Maltese EU taxpayers have already been automatically registered on the local council electoral rolls on application for or renewal of their Maltese identity cards, grave practical hurdles face the 11,000 of them who have yet to enrol on the European Parliament electoral register.
Whereas a Maltese national, registering to vote for the first time, may (among other convenient options) drop into his local council, pick up a voter registration form, fill it in, jot down his identity card number and post his application, a first-time resident non-Maltese EU registrant for the European Parliament electoral roll must personally visit the Electoral Commission and present up to three identity documents to exercise the same right.
Any claims purporting to justify the "personal visit" to the Electoral Commission as a precautionary measure to preclude voting twice are specious because it is already expressly provided for in the signed declaration (section C, subsection ii) of the European Parliament voter registration form itself, where it plainly states, "I will exercise my right to vote in Malta only". (www.electoral.gov.mt/getresource.aspx?id=79) So then, what plausible purpose could the mandatory trek to Valletta and the tramp to Rabat in Gozo to "personally call" at the Electoral Commission possibly serve?
Given that these arbitrarily onerous institutional requirements appear to constitute a case of prejudicial discrimination among EU nationals, are the European Parliament Valletta Office, the Electoral Commission and the government satisfied that Malta is in full conformity with EU law in this and other pertinent matters?
The exhaustive input of AD - The Green Party regarding these issues has been formally registered at EU institutional level and I have been assured that having already imposed its EU credentials, AD will continue to enforce its rigorous standards in their implementation.
7 Comments
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Nathan Young
Oct 1st 2008, 19:28
@Els Serracino-Inglott
To obtain an I.D. card, I had to show my passport with the 'Freedom of Movement' stamp in it.This was in 2004 and took about three months
My mate who owns a flat in Malta had to wait for five months for a residents permit before he could apply for an I.D. card,and this was last year.
Tony Gatt
Oct 1st 2008, 12:44
Malta isn't the only place this happens. I lived in Ireland (Eire) for 25 years and could not vote as I have a British passport. Fair enough, but they were quite happy to tax my wages to the hilt. Whatever happened to "No taxation without representation"?
Els Serracino-Inglott
Oct 1st 2008, 12:16
One of the things that might have to do with having to register separately is that non-Maltese EU citizens have to opt in which country they want to vote for European Parliament elections, for Malta (their country of residence) or in the country that they are citzens of. Automatic registration is therefore not possible.
RE security measures/paranoia: when I came to Malta for the first time around 5 years ago (I am an EU citizen but not Maltese), and wanted to apply for an ID card, all I had to do was fill in a form and I got a notice after a week that I could come to the ID card office for it. I didn't have to bring any other documents... Is this security counscious?
Nathan Toung
Oct 1st 2008, 11:50
@apgrech
Malta is not a land of paranoia,it is a very security concious country which others
especially the U.K. should emulate.I have long deplored the utter lack of security in most of the aspects of British life.Passports with a photograph taken at the age of twenty showing a thin face with a mass of hair and a beard,still being used years after when the owner is fat faced and bald.
Police able to stop cars and search white people ,but facing charges of racism if they stop blacks.
If you catch and hurt an intruder during a struggle in your own home even if he is trying to kill you,you would be in court for assault.
The Maltese Customs find more contraband coming into Malta than most other countries customs.
I would sooner live in Malta with this security 'paranoia' than any country that allows foreigners to enter without being checked thoroughly
Nathan Young
Oct 1st 2008, 11:16
I am a non-Maltese EU citizen and In January 2004 I came to live in Malta. After about three months I applied for 'freedom of movement' and an I.D. card both of which were granted,'freedom of movement' being stamped in my passport.
I have since then voted in European Parliament and local council elections,but as a non-Maltese I can not vote in General Election.
My wife is Maltese and I can apply for Citizenship afer we have been married for five years and I can prove that we are still living together.If this is granted, I can then vote in a General Election.
Nathan Young
Oct 1st 2008, 10:52
I am a non-Maltese EU citizen and In January 2004 I came to live in Malta. After about three months I applied for 'freedom of movement' and an I.D. card both of which were granted,'freedom of movement' being stamped in my passport.
I have since then voted in European Parliament and local council elections.
apgrech
Oct 1st 2008, 09:51
Mr Olsin Jones-Dillon, please know that Malta is the land of paranoia. Foreigners are doubly, triply and one thousandly checked and asked to produce papers ad nauseam even if one department had already gone through the scrutiny to make sure that person is whom s/he declares to be.
I've seen this happening at Customs, Emigration, Marriage Registy, Car Licencing office and you name it and they want you to go to their offices. Apparently, producing an ID card is not enough - they want more documents "to make sure".
Be careful - don't dye your hair differnt colour than that shown on your ID card because they may question you even more :))