Some days ago the Prime Minister as the Minister of Local Government, advised the President of Malta to give notice for the Mtarfa local council to be dissolved.

The sad and at the same time very serious decision had to be taken because of the complete disregard to the Local Council Act of 1993 by the Mtarfa Labour-led local council. The legal notice was published in the Government Gazette and therefore it became official on Friday 25th April.

Amazingly this serious matter was treated with partisan politics comments by the Labour Party, congratulating the mayor for the grand fiasco, (which in way was expected) but very alarmingly, also by the president of the Association of Local Council who complained that the association was not informed beforehand. The dissolution of Mtarfa council is the third one that occurred in the last 15 years since local councils were introduced, before there were Paola and Sannat (Gozo) all three with a Labour majority.

Everyone else living in Malta except perhaps the association president, knew that the Mtarfa local council was being administered incorrectly and did not hold a council meeting since November. Even before that date as early as May 2007, the mayor insisted on holding council meeting at 10am which meant that the councillors both Labour and PN were unable to attend while at the same time the mayor kept ignoring their continuous protests.

A formal meeting was held later in the presence of the Mtarfa council’s legal advisor, the director of local government accompanied by his legal advisor and all councillors at the Mtarfa council’s offices, The director also sent in writing a set of guidelines to the mayor asking her to abide by the law, but to no avail.

The Labour Party should apologise to the Mtarfa residents

The mayor insisted to leave out the majority of the councillors from the selection board to interview prospective candidates for the post of Executive Secretary and instead appointed herself, the Deputy Mayor and a certain Stephen Perici, who incidentally was also appointed on other selection boards formed by Labour councils. This led the majority of the Mtarfa council to not accepting the selection board’s recommendation and the council remained without an Executive Secretary until today. I have reason to believe that this partisan action was as instructed by the Labour Party as the selection board was also involved in other local councils’ selection of employees. Three other Labour activists formed these selection boards in councils such as Mosta, Marsascala and Senglea.

In a nutshell the Labour Party is at fault for the dissolution of the Mtarfa Council and should apologise to the Mtarfa residents for depriving them for months from the service that should have been provided by their own council.

Through the columns of this Sunday paper, for a number of weeks, before the local elections I warned that the Labour Party was turning local councils with Labour majority into Labour Party club committees. Some people might have thought I was being biased in my arguments, but this is the proof. I declare here and now that there are other Labour majorities that must change drastically their way of governance in their locality otherwise they will pass through the same experience as Mtarfa local council did.

Local councils were introduced to bring the people more near to the centre of local politics. The PN’s declared policy about local councils is very clear, the PN‘s political involvement in local councils is minimal if not inexistent, The PN advises its councillors to cooperate and if possible try to obtain unanimous approval on decisions taken during council meetings. In fact the PN insists, although PN Councillors are elected on the PN ticket, their priority should always be the locality and its residents.

Local elections in Mtarfa will be held on the 24th May. The PN will be presenting a strong team to contest the election, and whatever the outcome of the result the PN councillors will work hard to provide a better standard of living to all.

I urge the Mtarfa residents to choose and elect their councillors carefully knowing full well that this was not the first fiasco caused by a Labour majority in their locality. The final decision is theirs and theirs alone and it will be respected.

Pawlu Aquilina

PN Local Councils Coordinator