В Мальте обострилась дискуссия об исламофобии на фоне выборов, а эксперты призывают внедрить электронное голосование для эмигрантов

Omar Rababah's entry into the political fray has highlighted race and anti-racism in Maltese politics. Islamophobia has long been shown to be a more acceptable form of racism in Malta, more so among the middle class. Once again, in the midst of Malta's election fever, the conversation around Islamophobia in politics rears its ugly head, with the whole country embroiled in controversy over comments made about Muslims. It was sickening to read so many dastardly and vile comments on social media, such as 'Muslims are trying to change our way of life' or 'Muslims do not subscribe to Maltese values', suggesting that there is a portion of the Maltese Muslim community that loathes much of what the country stands for. Such remarks, along with others of a similar nature, can only be regarded as highly Islamophobic. This latest racist onslaught also highlights the challenges of addressing issues of integration and multiculturalism in a way that respects the diversity of the Maltese population while maintaining social cohesion. It also underscores the importance of anti-racism and the need for political leaders to foster an inclusive society. It's not an easy task, considering the growing political and social groupings that are orientated towards far-right politics, expressing right-wing populist rhetoric by stating opposition to immigration and criticising Islam. What keeps them churning is the paranoia of the rich, as well as the unfocused fury and rampant frustration of citizens who feel left or pushed behind in our expanding, unequal society. Islamophobia breeds in the swamp of fear and insecurity that is truly the modern world for some people. This Islamophobia must be addressed immediately to prevent the normalisation of hatred and protect human rights. The trend risks becoming not merely a collection of isolated incidents but a systemic stigmatisation that, if left unchecked, fractures our communities and undermines social cohesion, leading to increased division and hostility among different cultural and religious groups.                                                          Malta Vision 2050: smoke-free generations? If our legislators were to emulate the UK's recently enacted tobacco and vape laws, they would surely be making up for a conspicuously missing key target in our Malta Vision 2050. This new UK piece of legislation envisages that children aged 17 or younger will never be permitted to buy cigarettes or tobacco products, while raising the legal age requirement for buying tobacco by one year every subsequent year starting on 1 January 2027, effectively banning anyone born after 2009 from ever being eligible to buy them. Items targeted at younger consumers, such as disposable vapes, have already been outlawed as part of the law. With a much-needed similar law in Malta that could also include the phasing out of the recreational use of cannabis, perhaps by 2050 we would be able to boast that ours has reached a milestone: a small country inhabited by smoke-free generations. Or is it just a prohibited dream of mine?                                                                      External voting The ability of people who are outside their home country when an election takes place to exercise their right to vote has long been an issue in electoral design and management. Today, it has become much more salient. The increase in global travel and work opportunities has led to a significant rise in the number of people who are outside their home country during elections. While our constitution guarantees the right to vote for all citizens, in reality, voters who are outside their home country when elections take place are often disenfranchised because of inadequate, cumbersome and outdated procedures enabling them to exercise that right. External voting is not always simple to design and implement. It raises issues of cost and of practical administration alongside the political considerations and considerations of representation. Many approaches have been adopted. Where they have resulted in success, this has often made a contribution to the credibility and the legitimacy of electoral events. In this day and age, technological progress, including but not limited to e-voting, provides increasingly effective and efficient means for elections to be free and fair, even if a large proportion of the voters are outside their country of origin. Provisions for external voting can be included in the electoral legislation and implemented at each electoral event, using well-planned and practical timetables and deadlines. A radical change in the manner of allowing external voting is needed in our system, more so after we witnessed the unprecedented difficulties and unpreparedness in the run-up to the last general election, when we first had the Electoral Commission discussing extending election flights to other airlines, only to be followed by KM Malta seeking more Gatwick and Brussels slots for election flights. In light of the above, I think it's high time that our legislators seriously consider introducing an electronic means of voting. The voter may use the Internet, personal digital assistants (PDAs), introductory telephones or a mobile phone to cast his or her vote. This type of electronic voting is most often referred to as remote electronic voting, or e-voting, and has been successfully operated in Estonia, France and the Netherlands. It is conducted in such a way as to meet the requirements of security, transparency and secrecy. Alternatively, or concurrently, the Electoral Commission could locate polling stations in Maltese embassies and consulates abroad, possibly extending the opening hours of diplomatic missions. Our political actors should take all the time available to negotiate a modern form of a new election voting law.