From Mr F. Cutajar

With regard to Pawlu Aquilina’s letter entitled “MLP record of shame”, we would like to express the following comments:

The Santa Lucija local council did not pay the rent for 12 years for the simple reason that it had never entered into a rent agreement with the Housing Authority regarding the council’s premises. Until this issue was settled the council was cautious enough to take accruals of such payments each year. We are pleased to announce that the council has reached an agreement with the Housing Authority not only for the rent but also for the purchase of the council premises.

Regarding the financial deficit, Mr Aquilina was very misleading in his comments. The council of Santa Lucija is in a very healthy financial situation. Since the establishment of local councils 14 years ago, the council ended with a negative balance, for the year, only a couple of times and not “year after year” as per Mr Aquilina’s letter. Moreover, this deficit was not a result of the council’s performance but a consequence of the Local Enforcement System introduced by the Nationalist government in 1999.

None of the members of the Santa Lucija local council receive any allowances from the council as stated in Mr Aquilina’s letter. However, the councillors, like all councillors in Malta and Gozo, have the right to be reimbursed for any expenses carried out in the course of their duties as councillors, and is in line with the Local Councils’ Act.

The Lm10,699 spent on hospitality travel and transport cover expenses related mostly to educational, cultural and Jum Santa Lucija activities addressed to the community, transport for the football nursery, Town Twinning expenses, donations to schools and charity foundations, computer courses and so on. What is so shameful about that Mr Aquilina? Apart from the Lm3,644 for repairs and upkeep mentioned in Mr Aquilina’s letter, the council spent another Lm12,707.00 on pavements, patching and other repairs, apart from the Lm38.647 on contractual services for the day-to-day upkeep of the locality.

Mr Aquilina’s comment regarding the visit to China shows how poor his attempts are to discredit the council, which was confirmed with a four to one Labour majority only a couple of months ago. The council delegation that went on an official visit to China last year was made up of two Labour councillors and a Nationalist councillor.

The council paid only 30 per cent of the airline ticket’s cost as an airline company sponsored the rest. During the visit to China, the council delegation was presented with a six-metre high monument that was donated to the community of Santa Lucija by the Governor of Jinchang District as a symbol of the friendship between China and Malta.

Frederick Cutajar

Mayor

SANTA LUCIJA