Every resident of Sliema has an interest in the state of the town and its services. The single transferrable vote system allows each resident to rank all 19 candidates in order of preference – although only the most popular 11 will be selected to serve for the coming year. Residents must choose the best people for the new Sliema local council; those who can deliver progress in 2012 through co-operation and commitment. There seems little space for party politics at local council level.
Progress is perceived in many ways. To some, progress is achieved by simply replacing old with new. For others, progress involves raising the general standard of living and preserving the environment. For a few, progress means maximising profit now with no care for the future. Despite central government commitment to ‘sustainable development’, the fashion in Sliema still favours energy intensive, high density apartments – is it time for a more ‘progressive’ approach?
Sliema Residents’ Association (SRA) committee member, Melody Morgan Busher, offers her services to Sliema residents as an independent (non-political) member of the local council that will be elected on 10 March. Lacking family or business ties here, she can represent residents with “no strings attached”. She can also represent the significant number of non-Maltese voters who have settled here.
Her background includes a variety of management styles – military, business, regulatory and charitable – resulting in a practical, open-minded approach. She states her commitment that where rules are reasonable and applicable, they are enforced since law and order are vital to communal living; similarly her view is that trust in local institutions is an important key to investment and innovation.
Melody shares with her neighbours a common interest in preserving the value of their homes and environs; she is intent on ensuring that Mepa applies fairly existing policies and procedures which were designed to manage development. Having worked in Malta for almost two decades, she knows most faces of the Maltese Public Service and can navigate these complex waters. At the formation of the Sliema Residents’ Association, she took on the role of monitoring Mepa information and began the re-broadcasting of planning applications relevant to Sliema via our website at www.sra.org.mt. She managed the SRA policy of objecting to any proposal which substantially increases population density given that the area is already distressed and has about 25% of its properties officially empty.
Managing construction issues falls within the local council remit and Melody aims to make this a priority – at least until Mepa reform is visible ‘on the ground’. There are other matters that she will tackle – from restoring the circular bus service to putting safety ladders on the waterfront. Her aims include proposing real-time traffic and pollution monitoring given the current sub-standard situation.
Access and parking problems are obviously urgent matters yet none of the millions owed to Sliema from the Commuted Parking Payment Scheme (CPPS) has been spent on the problem and it is a major part of her manifesto to seek intelligent solutions using these funds. The provision of cycle lanes, advance notice on road closures and better traffic routing also deserve attention. Projects for residents must be designed with due regard to local businesses and with respect to existing property ownership.
Given her past efforts and positive track record, the Sliema Residents’ Association is pleased to endorse Ms Melody Morgan Busher for the upcoming elections to achieve a functioning local council working in the interest of residents.
Adrian Gatt
SRA committee