I guess it is all a matter of pride.

Independent councillor Nigel Holland is mayor of his town not because he deserves it, but because the Nationalist Party preferred the “independent” Mr Holland to the Labour Party’s councillor, Brian Zammit, who polled more than three times as many votes as Mr Holland.

Does Mr Holland not feel embarrassed at all? Mr Holland made it to the council in an excruciatingly slow manner over innumerable counts at the vote counting. He was, I believe, the last to be elected.

Yet he had the cheek to accept being elected mayor, though Mr Zammit polled so many more votes. He was voted for by the Nationalist councillors. It is obvious that the residents of Floriana do not have the mayor they want.

This is all because of the stinking rivalry between the political parties, even at local level. Though I do not agree with Labour’s argument that political parties should have no part to play in local government, this attitude by the Nationalist Party proves that Labour is justified in its reasoning, though wrong.

Really, should councillors not be a little “independent” in their thinking and behaviour, instead of being the limp puppets on a string that they are, blindly following the dictates of the party headquarters?

J. Falzon

Sliema