Your vote in safe hands...

One of the most vivid memories of my childhood was my father's demeanour during election time. At the time, all the information collected was from newspapers, news bulletins, the radio and the odd telephone conversation with relatives and friends stationed in the counting hall.

This was before mobile phones and SMS were in vogue! With an election booklet in hand, my father meticulously detailed each vote and identified to whom it was transferred. As a child, I was intrigued, not realising that our single transferable voting system was so intricate it could tell voting preferences in a way other systems could not.

There is no doubt that in Malta every single vote counts, not once but each time it is transferred. This was no more evident than in the European elections where voters crossed party lines according to the preference of the candidate more than the party.

Indeed, for the Nationalist Party, the European elections were not a huge success with us winning two out of the six possible seats (always keeping in mind that the last and sixth seat has not yet been allocated).

Back then, I argued that the people were voting against the party and not the candidates. I also stated that, in time, the people would realise that our candidates had and again would represent them best in Europe, not only because we are the party that championed the idea of Europe in the first place but because our candidates are the most dedicated to improving the daily lives of the Maltese and Gozitans through their daily work in Brussels and also in Malta and Gozo.

That time has come. A look at the annual report of our MEPs' performance points to this fact in every sphere. Simon Busuttil and David Casa together work harder and achieved more than the sum total of the Labour MEPs. While all five have a good attendance record, it is Dr Busuttil and Mr Casa that top the charts when it comes to work in committees and in plenary.

Our MEPs have distinguished themselves in more ways than one. Suffice it to mention Dr Busuttil's election as co-ordinator of the European People's Party on the Committee for Civil Liberties, Justice and Internal Affairs. Dr Busuttil garnered 27 of the 28 votes for the position, which is proof in itself of the reputation he is carving out for himself at a European level.

The same could be said of his work on the European front to put the immigration issue at the top of the European agenda. Much that has been achieved in this area within the European Parliament has been thanks to Dr Busuttil's unrelenting work on the subject, again proving that the 69,000 fist-count votes he achieved at national level have translated into tangible results for our nation.

On his end, Mr Casa has worked in equal manner in his position as spokesman for the European People's Party on employment and social affairs. He has ensured that through his interventions and positions he carves out the best for the Maltese worker.

On a European level, Mr Casa has also been involved as rapporteur in the high profile report on VAT fraud and through his work managed to get all the parties within the European Parliament to back it.

There is no doubt that our MEPs are the voice of the Maltese in Parliament. Although occupying only two of the five seats allocated to Malta in the European Parliament, both Dr Busuttil and Mr Casa are proving that numbers don't count when it comes to hard work and being effective. Their track record speaks for itself.

Their Labour colleagues don't even come close; the statistics speak for themselves. Suffice it to look at a few figures. Our MEPs compiled eight reports when compared to three by Labour. In the case of resolutions in Parliament, Mr Casa and Dr Busuttil presented 18 resolutions while Labour MEPs presented none. The pattern is the same in all spheres of the European Parliament's work.

For those who cast their votes at the last European elections for Mr Casa and Dr Busuttil, today they know that their vote is in safe hands. Our candidates have done and will continue to work hard in their electors' interests and in the interests of our country. On my end, I have one thing to say: thank you and keep up the good work!

The author is government Whip and Parliamentary Assistant at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.