On 6 June, the people of Malta and Gozo will be asked to do their duty and vote in the European Parliament elections. Also, one third of the country, 23 localities, will be asked to vote in the election of local councils.
In both instances it will be a 180 degrees turn for the Labour Party, as it was against the introduction of local councils and did its utmost to boycott them using every means. It did the same, or worse, for the EU referendum and to this day declares that the EU is a burden that costs the Maltese taxpayers a lot of money.
It boycotted no less than nine local elections between 1993 and 1999 and only started taking part after the so-called independent candidates started to lose popularity during the 1997/09 period, in the 22 months Labour was in power
Negative local Labour
governance
During the 16 years of local government there were three local councils that were abolished by the government for not observing the law and breaking all rules governing the administration of local government. On all three occasions the local councils concerned were councils with a Labour majority – Paola, Sannat and Mtarfa. This is proof of Labour’s inability to govern local councils.
As if this was not enough, the police had at some time or other investigated other Labour majorities for alleged irregularities in its duties. Localities like Cospicua, Pembroke, Vittoriosa, and San Gwann were investigated for alleged irregularities ranging from suspected theft of electricity to irregular award of tenders, employing people who had parental connections with mayors, as well as sending anonymous letters very often implicating their own councillors. Incidentally, these kinds of letters are, to this day, being going round and are intended to harm mayors and councillors. In Gozo, two Labour councillors either resigned or stopped attending council meetings altogether.
For Labour, the idea “together everything is possible” is something that works to the contrary.
Partisan local councils
We have no less than five national days and when we speak about them we joke and laugh about this fact; but when the decision was taken it was necessary as democracy in Malta was at stake in those days.
All of a sudden, councils that never took part in the 31 March activities started asking their mayors for the council to pay for and put flowers on the Vittoriosa monument. It is astonishing that they never do the same on the other four national days like Sette Guigno, Victory Day, Independence Day or even Republic Day for that matter.
The four Cottonera Labour councils were ordered by the Labour Party to organise activities in conjunction with them. This was a blatant abuse of the law and the government should take action against the four mayors and anyone else approving the squandering of public funds. In my opinion the money spent should be considered as donation to the Labour Party and this breaks the Local Councils Act- Schedule VIII. The usual departmental decision of withholding funds from the councils’ allocation is not acceptable, the four mayors should be held personally responsible. The Executive Secretaries must refuse to sign cheques for payments concerning political activities like the 31 March one.
Labour went as far as to appoint selection boards some months ago, selection boards from Labour headquarters with the aim of employing only Labourites as council’s staff, I have published names of the selection board members on several occasions and was never challenged. This is the way Labour performs – they do not know better. I challenge the Labour Party to deny that this has happened more than once.
The unfortunate state of Labour councils
Unlike the Labour Party, which jumps with joy every time it is in the news that either a factory or a hotel will discharge workers due to the international monetary crisis, the PN, on the contrary, feels sorry for certain localities’ residents who suffer because of their Labour council’s inefficiency. One only has to ask the people of Paola, San Gwann, Pieta, Msida and Mtarfa (when the latter had a Labour council); everyone is witness to what is happening at Mosta were the council keeps ignoring the rules and regulations and abusing power; even the Labour leader had to intervene to stop the fracas at Mosta. They have not held a proper meeting in this locality since November because every time the mayor is challenged he walks out and disrupts the meeting, The fact is that Labour is incapable of governing; last week the council date meeting was changed three times. Although I stand four square with the residents of the localities concerned the people have a right to know what goes on. Writing about technicalities like financial deficits and so on is a waste of time in all localities mentioned; Labour councils just did not perform or worse still abused their power. The residents involved cannot suffer more than they have already done. I urge the residents to put a stop to this abuse and use their vote responsibly and in their families’ interest. Mosta, San Gwann and Mtarfa are ample proof of Labour inefficiency in local government. The former two had a change from PN to Labour, which resulted in an awful mess, the latter had a change the opposite direction and the result is there for everyone to see – Mtarfa started breathing fresh air last May when Labour was voted out.
No to terrorists from Guantanamo and No to veto
Five years ago the people used the MEP vote to protest about certain things happening then. The result was that the PN only managed to win 90,000 votes, which were 45,000 votes less than one year before in the 2003 general election. The result of this was that Malta was not properly represented in the European Parliament; we had Labour MEPs obstructing our country to get more funds from the EU, voting in favour of accepting terrorists from Guantanamo Bay prisons, and other gaffes like voting for matters that go against our Christian values.
Labour are still against the EU. and cannot be trusted. We are now being warned about Labour’s veto, which will cause unlimited political and economical harm to our country.
31 March
If anything, the title of freedom is irrelevant because I do not recall that we as Maltese had something to be freed from, we were not held captive. 31 March 1979 was the end of a lease agreement of military and naval stations used by the British services, an agreement which was extended for five years by the Mintoff government in 1974 after the Borg Olivier agreement had lapsed. That is all it was – a lease agreement. All the fuss that is being made today means nothing at all. If what is being said was true how can the Labour Party explain that in less than two years after 31 March 1979, Labour lost the 1981 general election but stayed in power against the people’s will? If we had to mention freedom this was in fact achieved in 1987 by Dr Fenech Adami when we got rid of an imposed government who for more than five years denied us democracy and stayed in power against the people’s will, and not 31 March 1979.
The people never forgave Labour and kept them out of government for neatly 22 years.
It is no time for protest votes it will backfire against us.
I urge all Maltese and Gozitans to vote wisely on 6 June in the interest of our families and country and the localities concerned unless we want councils to disappear and we go back to socialist centralized politics and administration, or worse still, that Malta breaks off all relations with the EU.
Mr Aquilina is the PN’s Local Councils Coordinator