From Mr J. Muscat

When this letter is published, it will be after the people have voted and therefore will not harm any political party. Over the past weeks, this newspaper has given ample space to Pawlu Aquilina to write about local councils, their corruption, breaking the law and so on. But what I find strange is that every time he writes, he only refers to Labour-led local councils; never once is a Nationalist one mentioned.

On 24 February, he had a full page in which he mentioned about 16 councils, all Labour, levelling accusations at them, which, in my opinion, should be investigated by the police, or a higher authority if there is one for this purpose. I know that there is a minister who is responsible for local councils, and a whole department for local councils that I think is toothless; at least that’s the impression I got when I needed this department. What I do not know is whether these local councils, of which we have 63, are perhaps above the law.

Mr Aquilina mentioned the corruption of some of course, but I say one thing, that corruption is as old as the human race. One will find it where there is some sort of power, and the power is found in the corridors of power. When the government distributes some of its power to mini gods like MEPA, ADT, local councils and others, corruption starts to mushroom in these sectors as well. They become arrogant, too arrogant, to the extent that they become blind and deaf. They do not even hear the warnings of friends and see the writing on the wall. This arrogance only diminishes a couple of months before an election, but when do they learn that except for those who have interests of some sort; others are not fools.

Mr Aquilina also mentioned warden fines amounting to hundreds of thousands of Maltese liri, which in my opinion they extort from people’s pockets in some cases; but again only the Labour-led councils are mentioned. What about the other side of the coin? The Nationalist-led local councils? Are they angels? No they are not. Have we forgotten the St Julian and St Paul’s Bay local councils, which collected huge sums of money thanks to those two cameras, one at St Julian’s the other at Xemxija. Did we forget the camera installed very high on an electricity pole in Mosta Square to grab what the wardens had missed. Did we forget what a lawyer who has some local councils job had once said, that without these fines, local councils cannot be sustained.

I believe everything that Mr Aquilina wrote in all his articles, but he should have addressed them to all local councils. Knowing all this, is it possible that these councils are not accountable to anybody? Are these above the law? Is this what Dr Eddie Fenech Adami had in mind when he burdened us with them, and here I have in mind everybody who is autonomous, except for the courts and the police; I do not think so.

But here they are, as fat as a well-fed cat.

Joseph Muscat

MOSTA