At the time of writing this article, the local media is raging about an application filed in court by a whistleblower alleging that a number of foreign persons were given identities previously held by deceased persons whose demise was never certified and whose identities were transferred to third parties.

This alleged scheme gave these people the right to vote in place of the deceased.

It is alleged that these same people were given large sums of money to attract them into joining a scam with the purpose of winning more votes for the Labour Party.

The whistleblower is a former member of the same Labour Party, having held the position of committee secretary for the Balzan Labour Party club for a number of years.

He obtained the status of a whistleblower after disclosing an alleged racket involving the issuing of driving licences by Transport Malta. He now lives away from Malta, after allegedly being warned that, due to his whistleblowing activity, his life was in danger.

Identity Malta and the Labour Party have dismissed these allegations and the former has said that the whistleblower lost his residency permit by virtue of simply not having renewed it.

At this point, one finds difficulty in believing anything Labour says. We are promised one thing and always get something very different.

As a personal rule, I always treat allegations as allegations until further proof is provided and a final court decision is made.

However, I cannot ignore that doubts spread like wildfire when allegations of this sort are made and made official in the form of court proceedings. Alleged threats to the fundamental principles of democracy should never be taken lightly.

This is exactly why the Nationalist Party is right in demanding an immediate and thorough investigation into these allegations. It is its constitutional role and duty to ensure that elections are conducted on a fair playing field in the defence of our democracy.

This is also the duty of any other citizen who might shed light on the matter, notwithstanding political belief. A clear conscience is worth much more than political conviction.

Back in 2018, the Nationalist Party had filed a second judicial protest (a previous one was made in 2016), denouncing the delays experienced by the Electoral Commission in receiving regular updates about changes to the list of persons eligible to vote in full breach of the law.

More importantly, the judicial protest denounced the illegal practice undertaken by Identity Malta of selecting and withholding names and information from the Electoral Commission.

A clear conscience is worth much more than political conviction

Identity Malta is not the entity responsible for ensuring legality and the smooth running of elections but the Electoral Commission is. It is, therefore,  common sense to understand that this commission should have full access to all information needed to ensure the legality of any election.

This is also the official view of the same commission, which has issued an official statement saying that it has absolutely no role in the issue of ID cards.

The initial mistake was made when it was decided that eligibility to vote was to be linked to the issuing of an identity card. The Labour Party has gone even further in boosting this blunder by actually proposing that the identity card should replace the voting document.

This proposal was presented in the 2022 electoral manifesto as proposal number 914. With hindsight and with the emergence of these new allegations, this proposal continues to fuel suspicions that this could serve as a vehicle for more abuse.

It is the idea of some that political parties should not form part of the electoral scrutiny process. I strongly disagree with this, however, I also believe that the issuing of an important document such as an identity card should not be at the discretion of an entity led entirely by persons who are politically appointed by the governing party.

On the other hand, the Electoral Commission includes members proposed by the party in opposition, thus guaranteeing more transparency in the electoral process.

With the forthcoming European Parliament and local elections taking place in a few months, I strongly believe that an investigation into these allegations must be done thoroughly and rapidly.

Our nation is still recovering from the brutal knowledge that it has been defrauded of hundreds of millions in the hospitals deal and, allegedly, the energy deal, among many other things.

If these allegations are ultimately proven to be true, the last shred of dignity and credibility will be lost. More people will lose faith in the institutions which are supposed to ensure the rule of law and peace of mind. Our proud nation will ultimately lose its battle against impunity and corruption.

We cannot allow this to happen. Health and energy are vital to our well-being. Democracy is even more important. It is what guarantees our status as proud and free Maltese citizens. Proud to be Maltese and free to pursue whatever we set our mind to achieve through hard work and meritocracy.

This is not about Labour or the PN or any other party. This is not about large majority numbers, percentages and lemon tree memes. This is not about denigrating and lying about political leaders. This is not about personal attacks on the lives and families of our politicians.

This is about us, our fundamental democratic rights, the well-being of our children, our elderly and all our loved ones. This is about our pride as a nation, the democracy we suffered and lost so much to achieve. We have been abused and pillaged but always fought back and, ultimately, stood proudly as victors.

Our nation finds itself at a crucial crossroad. We are facing a vital battle if we choose to fight back once more. We cannot be silenced by the annual €100 freebie from our own taxes.

Our democracy is priceless and not for sale at any price.

We either get swallowed into the abyss or come together as one to give our country back the democracy it deserves. But no partisan crusade can overcome this gargantuan task. It must be a revolution of the people.

Adrian Delia

Adrian Delia is a former leader of the Nationalist Party.