Every time there is an election or referendum, we start hearing about the so-called cheap flights for voters. Technology has rendered such initiatives a pure waste of taxpayers’ money.

If most people are confident enough to use internet banking, why cannot one have faith in an IT-based voting system? Having people flown into the country to fill in a piece of paper is tantamount to living in a medieval society fearful of technological advancement.

The ‘cheap flight’ initiative in itself is also regressive, since the likelihood is that the majority of people who benefit from the cheap flights come from the more affluent segment of the Maltese society. The conclusion is that if the country wants to stop wasting money, the current system should be discarded.