I have long decried the fact that the outgoing Labour-controlled Rabat local council left all the local country roads, for which it is responsible, in a deplorable state of disrepair. It did nothing much for those in the town itself, except in a last frantic rush in the run up to the local elections. Their hasty approach resulted in damaging leaks into the Grotto of Saint Paul, the adjoining chapel and the Glormu Cassar underpass, major national monuments.

This is very different from the constant work of PN councillors which served for the nine years of control by the Nationalists.

The present council even wasted the opportunity created for them with the twinning of Rabat with Tarquinia and Malta joining the European Union. There was no follow up by the Labour council and golden opportunities were allowed to go to waste. Whereas the San Lawrenz mayor, Noel Formosa, the recently elected vice-president of the Committee of the Regions, and the Mgarr mayor were able to acquire EU funds for local projects, the Labour majority council in Rabat, never attempted to acquire any such funds. Yet, Rabat, is a treasure trove of antiquities and in dire need of such funds.

Not only did it fail there, but the Labour-controlled Rabat local council has withdrawn from an URBACT project participation. If the Mgarr mayor wanted to have his area benefit from funds allocated for forestry, why did the Labour mayor in Rabat not avail himself of similar funds for, say, Bahrija? The Labour mayor did not even avail himself of funds that might have been available for cultural exchanges as part of the twinning project.

If the Birkirakara local council managed to avail itself of funding of youth programmes, why did the Labour Rabat Council not do the same?

The fact is that this Labour Council in Rabat showed no interest on tapping the many opportunities the EU offers, to the loss of all the Rabtin.

The preceding Nationalist councils were more alert. Other PN controlled councils, as I have indicated above, have been much more pro-active and availed themselves of these opportunities for the benefit of their voters.

A look at our electoral programme reveals that, apart from better upkeep of the localities, a more harmonious PN majority would again work hard to reap all possible benefits for the whole community in the cultural, agricultural, youth and other fields.

Antoine Borg

PN Candidate for Rabat