Labour’s democratic credentials are such that we continuously strive to achieve democratisation at all levels of public life.
In drawing up our policy documents, Labour has shown its commitment to dialogue, and its final documents have, in turn, reflected the input of all the organisations that participated in the process. We are now dedicating the same energy to the local council elections, coming up on 10 March.
The failure of the Nationalist government is evident all around us. The malfunctioning of the economy, the dire state of our public finances and the inability to plan and deliver on time and on budget, are but symptoms of Nationalist failure. Unfortunately, this is also reflected in the operation and management of Nationalist-led local councils. Councils led by Nationalist majorities tend to reflect the “anything goes” attitude in the management of local affairs, as is done in public administration by the Nationalist government at national level.
On the other hand, councils led by Labour majorities, notwithstanding the unnecessary difficulties that are created from time to time by the central administration, do deliver, and have been able to implement projects that are beneficial to the residents in general. It is indeed a pity that this work, carried out by voluntary people with such love and dedication, at times does not find the support expected from the central administration.
The local councils are no longer an experiment in local democracy. They have now become institutions in themselves, where the localities’ residents participate in the matters that most closely affect the very life in our villages and towns. Issues like parking, cleanliness, education, culture, traffic, social life and many others that affect our daily life are now all dealt with at the local level.
Labour here clearly sees and understands the inability of the central administration to go into such detail at this level. It strongly believes that local councils are democratic institutions that are able to affect us all individually. Whether it’s a garden, a library, a computer course, or a concert – all contribute to a better and more fulfilling life, something that commercial and modern life is sometimes seen as eroding.
Here, Labour strongly encourages participation at the local level. The greater the participation in local issues, the more benefit is derived. We seek solutions for the solitude of our seniors. We seek solutions for the better education of our children and for the continuous education of us all. We see councils as organising cultural activities. We believe that councils should perform what has become too expensive, or too trivial, for the central government to do.
The Nationalist administration has, over the years, shown its inability to deliver what it promises. Because of this, the central government is increasingly devolving its responsibilities onto local councils. Instead of increasing their budgets to match the extra responsibilities these councils have to face, it is progressively reducing them.
This, in turn, is making some local councils rely on the revenue generated by fines. This is the tip of the catastrophic disaster that this government does to finance its public programme. It’s a pity that we have come to this state of affairs, where our councils are obliged to fine and tax to finance their projects and activities, but a reality it remains.
Labour’s vision for local councils is very different. We see the councils as “doing” organisations and we will give them all the support, in both finance and resources, in order for them to deliver even better. We are committed to seeing councils function better and deliver more benefits.
All this is a good sign for Labour, not only to deliver at the local level, as we have done in the past, but also to give Malta a better and more effective government than we have today at national level.
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Dr Michael Falzon is the MLP Deputy Leader for Party Affairs