Please, do vote in the Europarliament elections

The powers that be at the EU are doing their level best to get the largest possible number of citizens to vote in the forthcoming elections for the European Parliament. Well, the level best of the powers that be at the EU is probably not good enough as far as this citizen is concerned. And this citizen happens to be a convinced europhile...

Quite frequently, from different sources, we expatriates have been receiving notices and pamphlets, explaining that we are entitled to choose to vote here in our place of residence. I had been seriously considering this option, and even went out of my way to ask about it.

But for various reasons I don't think I'll take up this option.

The main drawback of registering to vote in Belgium is that voting then becomes compulsory, and I don't won't to face the possibility of whatever sanctions are applicable in Belgian law for those who happen not to be able to vote, for whatever reason, on election day.

Another important reason why I won't register to vote in Belgium is highlighted by the fact that the notices that I receive are written in Dutch, which is a language I don't understand. So, should the Belgian authorities send me information in Maltese or English? Certainly not. If I'm voting in Belgium for Belgian politicians, I should be able to at least understand their language. The fact that I don't understand what they're saying is a clear indication that I'm a foreigner here, so I don't feel it would be correct for me to cast a vote. I might well end up voting for the Belgian equivalent of Joe Debono Grech. It would also be so embarrassing to enter the polling booth and ask for instructions in English, making it amply clear that I have no knowledge of Belgian politics... No, expatriates shouldn't vote unless they are somewhat integrated in their country of residence, and are familiar with the political background of those who they're electing with their vote.

So, am I so completely cut off from politics that I shouldn't cast my vote at all at the European elections? Again, certainly not! I'm very much familiar with what's going on in my own country, Malta. I'm a Maltese citizen, I'm registered as a voter in Malta, and I have a fairly good idea how I intend to vote. Did I say intend to vote? Sorry, how I would vote, if it were possible.

But it won't be possible. In the information age, the self-styled "smart" (hah!) country insists that voting should be carried out using stone age methods. So, while normal civilised countries allow their citizens who are based abroad to vote by post, at their embassies, by proxy, or online, Maltese citizens need to travel from the other side of the globe and stand on Maltese territory for the simple task of expressing a voting preference.

Well, this Maltese citizen is not going to join the mad scramble for Air Malta tickets on EP election weekend. I have a life to live where I live, and I'm not ready to remove my entire family from home, probably cause my daughter to miss school, beg for special leave from work, spend good money including two full price air tickets for my two children, travel half-way across Europe, and a few hours later travel all the way back just to choose my representatives in the EP, when I should be able to do this within 5 minutes online, or at most by taking a 30-minute trip to the Maltese embassy in Belgium.

So sorry dear PN, PL, AD, AN and some other nut cases. No vote from me until you decide to join the 21st century world and accept 21st century methods of voting.