Why I will vote AD

1) Because I fundamentally disagree with those intellectuals who argue that a dualist, binary system is somehow woven into our nation's DNA, thus turning this anomaly (by European standards) into a self-fulfilling prophecy. I believe that, on balance, that dualism has done more harm than good to the democratic development of this nation. 

2) Because I would like to believe that the Maltese people deserve a more representative democracy. I believe that two voices are stiflingly few in a modern European parliament, that diversity deserves proper representation and that the big parties have stretched themselves beyond recognition and will continue to do so, thereby diluting politics of its very meaning.   

3) Because 25 years after the excesses of Xandir Malta, our public broadcasting is, to put it diplomatically, in an unhealthy state with justified questions being posed in relation to its independence and impartiality. Because as the dualism became progressively more entrenched and the parties became the owners of large media houses, more and more journalists were paid to serve partisan interests, thereby effectively facilitating - rather than preventing - distortions of the truth.         

4) Because the events of the past few months and the perception that corruption has pervaded a wide array of institutions, point to the fact that Malta requires more checks and balances within our parliamentary system, that parliamentary scrutiny urgently needs to be bolstered and that a new parliament building must be accompanied by more democratic control over government. Our two-party system has effectively transformed parliament into a mere rubber-stamp for government. 

5) Because any voter with a modicum of understanding of and respect for representative democracy should feel insulted by the 'wasted vote' notion. Because it is quite plainly scandalous that journalists on public television and elsewhere peddle such essentially anti-democratic concepts as if it were perfectly normal to do so. Remember. It is not their vote. It is your vote. 

6) Because a functioning economy is, quite evidently, crucial. But it is not the be-all and end-all of the life of a nation. It is certainly only part of the democratic equation. As Slavoj Zizek has expertly highlighted, and as is fairly clear for all to see, the most successful, most stable, most powerful economies in the world today aren't necessarily democracies at all. 

7) Because the alternating dualist system has wreaked havoc on the general public's perception of Malta as a meritocratic society. What has emerged, on the contrary, is something very much resembling a rent-seeking elite, who make use of their political connections (on either side of the divide) to capture the state and use state power to enrich themselves and occupy positions of influence.  

8) Because Alternattiva Demokratika has been very vocally on the right side of history over the two most crucial issues of the past decade. Staunchly in favour of EU accession and staunchly in favour of divorce legislation. No fence-sitting, no wait-and-see approach, no depending on hindsight, no wiser-after-the-event posing and no strange post-referendum behaviour. True to form, AD is, once again, absolutely clear with regard to a host of civil rights. 

9) Because, in an island where public space is extremely limited, Alternattiva Demokratika is the only political party which is not willing to compromise the environment and the people's enjoyment of it. Because you know where you stand with AD on spring hunting, illegal boathouses, clean energy and a host of other environmental issues. 

10) Because I am more convinced than ever that real, positive democratic change and development cannot come from within the present two-party system which has developed its own self-preserving logic. Alternattiva Demokratika, under the leadership of its young chairman Michael Briguglio, is the best placed contender to give a much needed lease of life to Maltese democracy.