From Mr J. Muscat

Many are those who see the straw in their neighbour’s eyes, but do not see the beam in their own.

I have read all of Mr Aquilina’s record of shame in your newspaper of 11 November and previous weeks. Mr Aquilina is troubled by the misbehaviour of the Labour party-led councils, but these councils are usually all rewarded by the Labour leader and given above 96 per cent points.

However, if you also read another section of the press from the other side, none of these things are even mentioned. On the contrary, this section targets the sins of the PM-controlled local councils. Whom shall I believe? If I believe both of them, then all these councils are corrupt – if not criminally corrupt – with perhaps the exception of a few. If neither of them is believed, then this is probably the correct version, because as far as I know, none of these local councils has ever been taken to court to answer for their wrongdoings – and here I should ask: are they above the law? Is there a minister who keeps an eye on them? To whom are they accountable? To say they are accountable to the people, who will no longer elect them, is not enough. Creating one commission after another creates more confusion, in my opinion, and can also create more corruption.

The minister concerned should not rely simply on commissions. If he does not care because he has appointed a commission, then why should we, the people, bother to elect anybody in a general election? We should avoid creating a state within a state. I cannot understand that a nation measuring just 17 by 9 miles has 63 or 65 local governments, plus a few less autonomous government agencies. How much money are these getting from our taxes, and how much are they grabbing from our pockets in fines?

Joseph Muscat

MOSTA