I would like to respond to inaccuracies mentioned by Nationalist MP Robert Arrigo in his article A local council for Kappara, (TMID, 12 January).

Mr Arrigo said that he visited Kappara because he was invited to do so. Could it be that this sudden interest in the Kappara area is due to the forthcoming general elections, when he will be contesting the ninth district, of which Kappara forms a part?

Before featuring his article in your newspaper, Mr Arrigo had previously made a parliamentary question (no: 22776) concerning the state of G.M. Camilleri Garden in Kappara. The reply to this PQ clearly shows that this garden has never been kept in such a good condition as it has been since the inception of local councils.

With regard to the lack of “public funding going towards Kappara,” I would like to invite Mr Arrigo to have a look at the San Gwann local council budget for the financial year 2006-2007, in which a sum of Lm10,000 was allocated for the construction of a new pavement in Hida Street, and which has now been completed.

The San Gwann council receives no specific allocation for the hamlet of Kappara but the council still allocates money to provide for the various services and maintenance projects in the area such as domestic and bulky refuse collection, street sweeping and cleaning, gardening, weed cutting, electrical maintenance on street lighting, and the like.

Mr Arrigo should know – since he has previously occupied the position of mayor – that the central government gives out funds according to a complex formula known as the tenth schedule and not simply according to population, as he stated.

With respect to street name plaques, please note that after carrying out an extensive exercise around the whole of San Gwann, it was noted that only one street plaque was missing, exactly in the vicinity of the place where Mr Arrigo had been invited to visit.

Moreover, Mr Arrigo did even not realise that the hump warning signs in A. Schembri Street are indeed correctly installed and that there is more than one hump in this road. This has already been explained to the resident who allegedly invited Mr Arrigo, and so may I take the opportunity to ask the honorable MP to go through this road one more time so that he can see for himself.

As for G.M. Camilleri Garden, if the council had to engage two full-time gardeners solely for this garden, the council would then need to reserve approximately Lm9,000 per annum for this enterprise, when the central government’s allocation for all the gardens falling within San Gwann amounts to Lm7,500. Has it ever crossed Mr Arrigo’s mind that he is actually criticising the central government of which he forms part? But perhaps the person who allegedly invited him did not tell him the whole story. The current gardener engaged by the council regularly maintains this garden, apart from cleaning it on a frequent basis.

Mr Arrigo mentioned that he saw branches. Does he not know that during this particular period, some trees shed their leaves?

Why does he not request the central authorities to allocate more funds to local councils as has been requested by all mayors during the latest seminar organised by the local councils association at Ghajn Tuffieha?

I would like to draw to Mr Arrigo’s attention the fact that there are several signs in the Kappara garden prohibiting ball-games and the use of skateboards.

As a previous mayor, he should know that it is the responsibility of the police to prohibit such inconveniences at night, and the San Gwann local council fully accomplished its responsibilities by informing the police about the inconvenience created by these skate boarders. According to the council records, this event only happened once and was never repeated since the lone policeman mentioned by Mr Arrigo carried out his duty.

Mr Arrigo then shifted his article towards a different subject: that of queuing up for basic commodities such as toothpaste and chocolate under a Labour government. We wish the very best for our children. For the sake of their own health we do not give them chocolates, but the same Labour government brought in some good investment such as Air Malta, Sea Malta, the banks, serious companies and above all left the country a healthy sum of Lm440 million in 1987.

Joe Borg

San Gwann Mayor