The government has gone from a money-no-problem to a problem-no-money outlook, after coming to terms with the financial crisis it has brought on the country, MLP MP Evarist Bartolo said yesterday.

Mr Bartolo was making a point during the debate on the amendments to the Local Councils Act in parliament. A report issued by the EU commission confirms that the bad economic state of the country is the result of the government’s mismanagement and not due to some external phenomena, he emphasised, criticising the government for insisting on a lop-sided priority list to this date.

Even though the government was cutting funding on important matters it had no qualms on spending lavishly with projects like Dar Malta, he said. Connecting his argument to that of formulating fact-based policies even at local councils level, he pointed out that the national census, due next year, was not going to be carried out next year due to lack of funds and could actually be kept on hold until 2010.

“Even though I asked the Prime Minister this question yesterday and he is still to forward a reply, the information I have is that the census is scheduled for 2010, but this is too far from 1995 (when the last census was carried out).”

A census is not a futile exercise carried out for the sake of collecting information but is an indispensable tool which helps the government and society in general get a clear picture of trends in Maltese society at that point in time, he insisted.

“If we want to implement policies that are based on facts rather than on the impressions of politicians and civil servants, or based on who manages to make the most noise in parliament, we must invest in similar research,” he said.

The 1995 statistics revealed a serious illiteracy problem which, had the research not been carried out, would probably have gone unnoticed. A census, at this point in time, would provide local councils with important data about the needs of their citizens.

Generally, local councils have been successful and have brought about tangible change, he said, cautioning, however, that this must not lead to complacency or lead one to think that problems are over. After ten years since their introduction, the time has now come for local councils to be reviewed, he added

He made reference to the internal congress the MLP held recently, saying that more and more people seemed to be calling for an extension of the council’s role. The traditional sense of community is dying out of Maltese society in general, an issue that local councils should take up.

He insisted that local councils should not be used to tax people, saying that taxes, both at a national and local, should be regulated by parliament and should remain within the envelope of the budget and the legislation discussed in parliament.

He also spoke of the need for local councils to work as regions. He said the councils with a Labour majority were surely predisposed towards this point. In this regard he mentioned the education, health and the environment sectors as issues which need to be tackled on a regional level, something which was lacking so far.

Mr Bartolo also spoke of the Qui-si-Sana car park issue, saying that residents are even more irate by the fact that the government and certain PN local councillors are trying to roll over them roughshod without giving them the opportunity to voice their protest against the project.

He pointed out that he was surely not making this appeal to receive votes, as the absolute majority of the Qui-si-Sana residents are Nationalist Party supporters. He even said that whenever he visits a Labour-sympathising family from the area, he is asked to visit at night since they do not want their neighbours to find out they support Labour. In a humorous vein, he said that sometimes he asks them whether they want him to dress up as a woman to make sure he is not recognised.

He concluded on this appeal, saying that before moving forwards on the fast lane without the necessary consultation and accounting for the residents’ concerns, the authorities should stop and consider the matter.

Dr Justyne Caruana (MLP)

Dr Caruana also spoke of the MLP’s recent congress on local councils, saying that the initiatives taken by the Malta Labour Party in the recent general conference and during a congress on local councils are being recognised in the bill being presented. The bill incorporates elements that emerged from these discussions, she said.

Sometimes, people are still confused as to the MLP’s position on local councils since the party had at first decided not to participate. The MLP believes that councils would be better off if they were not polarised. However, given the Maltese partisan reality, the MLP had to take part in the elections and has successfully won increasing support year after year, she said.

Dr Caruana also referred to a road in Gozo that is in dire need of resurfacing, saying that in a recent parliamentary question to Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono, the minister had replied that it was being regularly maintained. In this regard she tabled a petition signed by residents and the council calling on the authorities to fix this road.

Residents seek help from local councils when faced with such problems, she said. This is why the government should consider allocating more responsibilities along with more funds to this domain, she stressed.

Noel Farrugia (MLP)

Noel Farrugia criticised the government for not consulting local councils in its rural development policy. With regards to the sewage treatment plant the government is planning for the north of Malta, the residents of the area are protesting against it because they are seeking a holistic policy which ensures that the issue is properly addressed. Instead, the government seems to want to roll over the residents and push on without consultation.

“Did the government consult with the farmers in the area, the councils or the residents?” he asked.

Mr Farrugia said that during the Labour administration a working committee had been introduced and entrusted with rural development co-ordination. Instead of adopting this committee and expanding it, the present government dismantled it, he pointed out. The idea could have been extended to incorporate work in connection with local councils.

He said that it is not possible for the government to keep changing its priorities the way it is doing, pointing out that while some Lm3 million are being spent on the embellishment of roundabouts, which is a good factor, a number of priorities related to rural conservation and development are being ignored.

Dr Michael Axiaq (PN)

Dr Axiaq recalled that he served at the Birkirkara local council under three administrations and recalled different experiences under the MLP and the PN governments. He said that under the PN government, from around Lm250,000 the council used to be left with Lm80,000 per year.

In 1996, under the Labour administration, the council had been left with a Lm5,000 discretionary budget. Furthermore, he said he had received a letter from the government which said something to the effect that it should not consider itself anymore a local government but rather a manager of the work to be carried out in the locality.

It was only after the PN was elected in 1998 that the councils were given an official status in the Constitution. He also recalled that the government back then used to argue that there were too many councils. “I am pleased to hear the opposition show an appreciation of the local councils, but it is good to remember that it was the PN which introduced this important democratic institution.”

He countered the opposition’s criticism of the eco-tax, saying that the Labour had previously introduced a blanket poll-tax, claiming that the tax was necessary to drive into the people’s mentality that to improve the environment and the sewer system costs money, Mr Axiaq added.

Speaking of the amendments proposed by the law, Mr Axiaq said he agrees with the measures since these stem from common sense. In this regard, he mentioned the measures that retail establishments situated 50 metres away from voting stations, except for party clubs, will not be expected to close shop on election day. Another measure he commended was the one prescribing the distribution of votes via registered mail and not accompanied by police officers and party officials.

Carmelo Abela (MLP)

Echoing MLP MP Evarist Bartolo, Mr Abela said that after ten years it was good to analyse and reflect on the way local councils are being administered. He said that after ten years a number of councillors still complain that they do not find cooperation from a number of government departments.

He said it is about time that everyone treats local councils as though they are local governments in practice and not only on paper.

He complained that there still are a number of councils that do not have adequate office facilities.

Similarly, some councils are finding it difficult to cope with increasing responsibilities due to a lack of human resources.

He enquired about the fate of civil servants who previously carried out work that has now been devolved to local councils. It is about time that an audit is carried out in this regard to assess how human resources have been shifted since this devolution kicked off.

With regards to public libraries, he said that local public libraries are definitely operating much better than they used to and praised the initiative.

In this respect, he said that the local councils should be encouraged to explore the socio-cultural development of their localities, pointing out that this would entail more funding.