Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1098850
24 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 31 MARCH 2019 OPINION Raphael Vassallo How did we go from 'gender balance', to… this? ALL right, let me start with the most glaringly obvious pitfall in the ongoing 'gender equal- ity in Parliament' discussion. Obviously, it is not that we are finally looking into ways to boost female representation in Parlia- ment. I am on record elsewhere stating that I have absolutely no problem with gender quotas, if that's what it takes to achieve a semblance of gender equality in Maltese politics. No, the problem is that this debate is taking place along- side a separate (albeit related) discussion about 'reforming the Constitution'… and part of this second discussion also centres on the need to make urgent changes to Malta's electoral law, regardless of female representa- tion issues. I won't bore you with all the details; but I must bore you with some of them. Among many other shortcomings, Malta's electoral law still fails to recog- nise 'coalitions'… evidently on the assumption that Malta was, and would always remain, a two- party state. It actively discrimi- nates against small parties across the board: inter alia, by setting the district quotas too high, across too many districts; and also by denying unrepresented political parties adequate space on public broadcasting. The voting system itself is also cumbersome and unnecessarily complicated, resulting in a tonne of uncounted (and therefore 'wasted') votes. It also fails to offer any meaningful, long-term solutions in the case of a hung Parliament. Now, I shall bore you a lit- tle more with a few practical examples. You will surely all remember how the last election was contested (among others) by a coalition called 'Forza Naz- zjonali', which included both the PN and the newly-formed Partit Demokratiku (PD). Well, on one level that's perfectly true… but on another, it's not true at all. There was a 'coalition agree- ment' between those two parties, yes; but the Electoral Commis- sion had to abide by the fact that the PD candidates contested on the PN ticket. So when it came to actually voting in the polling booth… there was no 'Forza Nazzjonali coalition' on the ballot sheet. There was a 'Partit Nazzjonal- ista' section, which also included PD candidates… distinguishable from the rest only by a 'nick- name' that wasn't even colour- coded. To call the outcome 'confus- ing' would be to put it rather mildly. We ended up with two PD candidates elected on behalf of the Nationalist Party, and who are recognised at law (and parliamentary procedure) as part of the PN's parliamentary group. Meanwhile, Adrian Delia has dissolved the coalition anyway. So people who thought they were voting for a new politi- cal movement, were basically conned. Some of them are no longer even represented in Par- liament at all. Admittedly, however, the day- to-day effects of this anomaly are not exactly earth-shattering. But there is one other flaw that could have catastrophic con- sequences indeed, if it remains unaddressed for long. The hung parliament scenario. In the 2008 election, Lawrence Gonzi's PN won a relative ma- jority of votes, translating into a minority of seats in Parliament. Gonzi could only form a govern- ment on the basis of the 'Consti- tutional mechanism' negotiated between Guido De Marco and Dom Mintoff in 1986, which awarded the PN as many seats as it needed to secure a majority in the House (four, in this particu- lar case). But this mechanism does not envisage a situation where three or more parties are elected to Parliament. So if Alternattiva Demokratika succeeded in win- ning a single seat in that election – and it came by far the closest to doing that in its entire history – those four seats would not have been awarded. Gonzi would not have been able to form his government. With its absolute minority of votes, Alfred Sant's Labour Party would technically Chief Officer (Business Development) The role primarily involves the development of new initiatives, business models and ascertain stakeholders' awareness on the opportunities offered by the Circular economy. This is a position for self-motivated people who think outside the box. Minimum Minimum Requirements: A degree at MQF Level 6 in Engineering, Environmental Sciences or similar plus a minimum of five (5) years relevant work experience. Knowledge of Waste Management and entrepreneurship would be considered as an asset. 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