From Mr P. Aquilina

It has become a customary Labour ritual, every year the Leader of the Opposition, after the Christmas holidays, about mid January, goes round various localities holding councils election in the following March and starts dishing out percentages on the efficiency of his local councils.

I predict that this time round the percentages will be as follows:

Marsa – 85 per cent. The mayor of this town did not attend the meeting called by Austin Gatt concerning the Grand Harbour projects; furthermore this Labour council has stayed out of the LES system since its inception unlike 65 other local councils.

Dingli - 80 per cent for the construction of the new council's office sometime ago, which cost around Lm80,000. Dr Sant will praise the council on the public garden recently done by the government.

Senglea - 90 per cent for creating a lot of business for taxis, sometimes over Lm120 in a single month. A further eight per cent for declaring an astonishing surplus of Lm204 in the last financial year and an even better one the year before for an outstanding surplus of Lm33.

Kirkop - 98 per cent for not mentioning even once the Lm5 million plus investment the government made in that locality.

Mellieha - 99 per cent for shrewdness and shedding its lamb's clothing throughout the six-year period.

Mqabba - 96 per cent for overspending, being held from carrying out capital projects and for winning the council election due to a freak result.

Pembroke - 90 per cent for trying hard to win back lost support and ordering 1,000 ties with the council logos to distribute as "tie for vote gimmick".

Qrendi - 99 per cent for not attending the inauguration of the newly embellished village square by the Minister for Resources and Infrastructure.

Sta Venera - 97 per cent for being strict and refusing to give leave to staff, and holding 35 interviews before employing a particular clerk.

Ta' Xbiex - 80 per cent for being declared one of the most inefficient councils in the department's efficiency report.

Xewkija - 95 per cent for taking WasteServ to court and losing, but managed to postpone work so the government could be criticised for delays.

Zebbug - 100 per cent for holding the record of having the highest number of different mayors in office and for placing a billboard near De Rohan Gate criticising the government.

Zejtun - 60 per cent for going their way and ignoring other Labour councils' follies

Zurrieq - 100 per cent for paying over Lm1,000 to one of Dr Sant's elves in fees for consultancy services for EU Funds.

All other councils with a PN majority that are holding local elections in March will be given an average percentage by the Opposition leader, varying between 20 and 25 per cent, no more and no less.

Strange but true

MP Chris Cardona was reported in the Press to have declared in Parliament that a future Labour government will act in the same way the Labour councils do. This is the same as the parable of the blind man followed a blind guide and both falling in the abyss.

David Soler appointed himself the mouthpiece for the mayor of Zejtun (TMIS, 2 December). He stated that part of the Gudja MIA forms part of Luqa. What he didn't say was which part, because as far as I know all warden tickets issued at MIA go to the Luqa council. In this case he is false and not me. Personally, I assure Mr Soler that I will go to court before I pay any traffic ticket at Gudja MIA on behalf of the Luqa council. According to the Local Councils Boundary plan dated August 1988 and MEPA's Existing Development Zone Boundary dated May 2006, all the Gudja MIA is outside the Luqa boundaries.

Joe Attard, in his second reply (TMIS, 2 December), tried to avoid the atrocities committed by at least four Labour councils when employing staff. He also declared that there exists some sort of proxy between the Zejtun joint committee and Luqa local council, I will believe this when I see this proxy written in black and white and confirmed by the department. He concludes by assuming that I am fully aware that PN majorities sideline or completely ignore Labour councillors. Well, I am not the least aware let alone fully, because all Labour councillors in PN majorities are treated with great respect. As an example, I ask him to contact Dr Edward Zammit Lewis (a prospective Labour candidate) about the way he was treated when he was the only Labour councillor in the Attard council; even now the Attard PN council uses his office for legal services. Very different from what Mr Attard's colleagues do. I admire Mr Attard's loyalty to his colleagues but facts are facts and no Labour mayor can deny them. The proposer in fact withdrew the motion I wrote about last week and no discussion was held at the mayors' meeting last weekend.

The people in the centre of politics

Love them or hate them local councils have made a difference to our standard of living. Some of the projects they carried out would have never been done. Being realistic we have to admit that some councils make mistakes and others unfortunately abuse but the majority perform very well.

Local councils are the consolidation of the idea that the closer we get to the people, the more we place them in the centre of national policies and get them involved. During the last 14 years, the PN government has given direct access to the people to choose their local representatives who can act and work for the benefit of their locality.

Local councillors work on a voluntary basis and deserve the public's respect and appreciation. Most of our mayors, deputy mayors and councillors are ladies and gentlemen of quick wit and intelligence but above all are painstakingly conscientious and most thoughtful of the requirements for their own residents.

Any criticism levelled against councils is normally done in good faith and is directed to the office and definitely not the person concerned. Mayors and councillors become public figures once they take the oath of office and as such must accept reasonable and constructive criticism.

In all democratic countries local councils represent different political parties and it is very encouraging that the MLP has finally accepted local councils and are taking part in local elections after abstaining from them for more than six years.

Local councils are here to stay and I end this letter with my heartfelt good wishes for the festive season to all mayors, deputy mayors and councillors in Malta and Gozo.

Pawlu Aquilina

PN Local Councils

Co-ordinator

PS: In line with party policy I will not be writing between 16 December and 6 January both days included.