I am glad to see that finally measures are being taken to make the issue of new ID cards easier for those who were already registered residents.

It is not the fault of the DCEA, the department handling applications. The culprits are to be found with the policy makers employed by the former government.

In as far as they have not been replaced since the last election, they should be sacked at once.

They lack any basic competence and sound judgement.

First of all, those involved in ID replacement were precisely known and could have been gradually invited to apply.

Second, the easiest way of doing so is having the replacement done when the current ID expires. Instead we have seen mere folly.

The precise motivations to issue at once new ID cards for all non-Maltese residents remain in the dark, except perhaps, for taking stock of foreign individuals staying in Malta over three months who did not register before.

Naturally, this would apply in the first place to those with low incomes and without any health insurance; in particular to citizens from non-EU countries. As for EU nationals, they are allowed to stay anyway, under certain well-defined conditions.

Requiring foreign EU citizens to apply for a Maltese ID in a separate application procedure seems to me discrimination as long as Maltese citizens are not subjected to the same. Apparently, the latter may continue with their current IDs until expiry. I could imagine foreign EU residents starting up legal procedures against their actual treatment.

The EU Commission did instruct the Government to abolish the two-tier bus tariffs. The same could happen in this case.