Normally, I do not reply to articles that do not make any sense or rather to someone who thinks he is a perfect player and that he is the only one who knows everything.

Usually, I do not even bother to go in to the detail of the article but, reading the article of the perfect lawyer and ex-mayor of Pieta has made me change my mind. So I have decided to give my views on what Malcolm had to say (or rather) on what he did not say.

Referring to the interview that I had with Matthew Xuereb, Malcolm stated that he had read my interest with interest and had drawn the conclusion that, as the new President of the Local Councils Association, instead of praising the work of

mayors and councillors, I am being pessimist, and I am not seeing anything but a dull picture ahead of us. As usual, lawyer Malcolm Mifsud is jumping to conclusions with the sole intension of attacking the Labour Party and its mayors and councillors.

I must state that I have never – and I repeat, never – said anything against the mayors or the councillors, who are doing a great job and who are doing their best to fulfil their responsibilities. The fact that I underlined the need for local councils to have enough money commensurate with their responsibilities does not mean that I am criticising their work. The points that I raised should be taken seriously by the mayors, because my concern is also their concern and, without the necessary funding, their work will be more difficult.

If, in the lawyer’s opinion, this is not the way to tackle the problem, that’s his business. My loyalty is to the mayors and councillors who have given me and the other members of the association the responsibility to represent them within this mandate, and I intend to do this with the help of all the members, in the way that I think will best deliver the right message to all those who have the responsibility to give their support, even if this will be the most difficult road to take.

In my opinion, Malcolm should decide which hat to wear – whether it is that of defending those who have elected him as a councillor, or the hat of his party in government. It goes without saying that Malcolm prefers the latter.

Having no knowledge of the document to which I referred and which proves that local councils are under funded by Lm2 million, does not mean that the document does not exist. I agree with Malcolm that it will make good reading. However, I would suggest that Malcolm, who happens to have a good chance of getting information from his own party, finds a way of getting hold of a copy.

As usual, the lawyer had to bring also the Leader of the Opposition in to the picture. I do not recall that, in my interview, I made reference to the skills of Dr Alfred Sant, but Malcolm seems to be interested in doing so. I will not waste much ink on this matter, because in my opinion, the lawyer has proved once again that he prefers discussing national issues to local ones.

Of course I agree with Malcolm that promises should be kept. Thanks to these promises, I can lead the Local Councils Association and I am still the mayor of my locality. I leave it up to the readers to judge who keeps a promise and who does not.

Referring to promises on the day of my appointment, I have promised all the councillors that, under my leadership, the Local Councils Association should be more respected, it should insist on giving full support to its members and I say proudly that this is being done. With or without the support of Malcolm, I will continue to do what is right.

I must say, that I do not want the local councils to be beggars. They should have what they are entitled to, without the need to beg or to be at the mercy of any officer in charge who will do whatever he has to, to make the life of our mayors and councillors a miserable one.

This is not acceptable and, with the help of those who support me and the other members of the committee, we will do whatever we have to do to defend ourselves. The responsibility of funding local councils is up to the Central Government, and this has to be respected.

I see no need to praise the government for committing itself to do what it is responsible for. As far as I know, the 450 roads that were mentioned in the budget are either roads that have never been done or roads that have more than 70 per cent damage and are therefore the sole responsibility of the government.

Hoping that Malcolm has understood the above, I once again praise the local councils for the work that they are doing in the area of “social activity and service”.

Libraries are now under their responsibilities; some have also taken the local health clinics in their hands; others are offering free educational courses; the handicapped are being taken care of, and much more is being done by local councils without having one cent to spend in the social area.

It is a pity that the lawyer has only pointed his finger at a few coffee mornings.

Having cleared doubting minds, I must say that we have to move on because time is precious and I do not want to use my precious time reading articles by someone who has decided to criticise whatever I have to say. Maybe Malcolm has his own agenda by doing so.

Maybe the hat he is wearing is directing him to do so. I will leave that decision up to you. I will, however, appeal to the other members of the association to ignore these attacks and continue with their support. We need to work harder so that when the time comes, those who have elected us will praise our work and judge us on what we have achieved.

I must take this opportunity to send my best wishes to all the mayors, councillors and staff, including Malcolm Mifsud, and to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Last but not least, on behalf of all the

mayors and councillors, I wish to send our best wishes for a full recovery to Claudette Baldacchino who is vice-president of the Local Councils Association and deputy mayor of Qrendi. Claudette had a car accident earlier this month. We want her to take care of her health and rest as much as she can so that when she has fully recovered she will return to continue her work in her locality and in the Local Councils Association.

Michael Cohen is President of The Local Councils Association