Labour mayors walk out of meeting to approve Operations Review report

Local Government Minister Austin Gatt yesterday said the Labour Party leadership did not believe in democracy, after all the MLP mayors unexpectedly walked out of a mayors` meeting in Marsascala.

"There are no other words for it," said Dr Gatt, who accused the MLP leadership of issuing orders to their mayors in a manner that was reminiscent of the days of fascist rule.

The mayors met yesterday at the Jerma Palace Hotel to approve a number of motions, in particular a report on the government`s Operations Review of local councils.

This report was compiled by a committee appointed at the last meeting of mayors at the Mgarr Hotel in Gozo last November.

It was made up of two representatives of each party, a representative of independent councillors and a member of the Association of Local Councils.

The representatives all signed the report that was moved for approval yesterday.

However, just before the issue was due to be discussed, the MLP mayors walked out of the meeting.

The Labour mayors - through MLP spokesman Charles Mangion at party headquarters - later said that they walked out for two reasons. One was that they wanted an assurance that the executive of the Association of Local Councils would be restructured to reflect more accurately the representation of both parties; and secondly, because they had not been given the required 15 days to consider and make comments upon the report.

The PN councillors still approved the report in their absence.

Dr Gatt, who had arrived to close the meeting with a policy speech, instead opened his address with a blistering attack on the MLP.

He said the Labour councillors should not have requested an assurance that one of their proposals would be accepted before discussing the other points. "Only stupid people act like that, not serious people."

However, he said the government would work on the basis of the report irrespective of the walk-out, because it had been unanimously agreed by the mayors.

"Despite all the statements they (MLP) will come out with in the coming days, the truth of the matter is contained within this report...

"I do not agree with everything in it, but it has been put together with sense," he said.

One of the PN councillors who compiled the report, Clyde Puli, said at an impromptu press conference immediately after the meeting that he was still shocked by what had happened.

"Everybody signed the document. Everybody agreed on the recommendations contained within it. Yet when we put it forward today there suddenly appeared to be a change of heart because the people who signed it came under pressure from the Labour leadership.

"The MLP did not even vote on the motions they had put forward themselves," Mr Puli said.

On the report itself, Dr Gatt said it had accepted the visions he had set out three years ago to shift the taking of certain decisions from the Local Councils Department to the Association of Local Councils, as well as to reform the manner in which the association is elected.

"Government is prepared to listen,... the country needs a strong association and this should therefore be the starting point for discussions," he said.

Dr Gatt also announced that the government was launching a pilot project at a secondary school in collaboration with a local council to provide free computer classes for the community after school hours.

He said that if this project is successful, the government would introduce the plan in as many secondary schools as possible from the end of the year.

Dr Gatt also said the government was working on a plan to deal with the problem of illegal dumping in rural areas in collaboration with local councils.

Meanwhile, he said that although the government did not believe in the concept of political regionalism, it would be working to make the administrative set-up more efficient. The local warden system was a case in point, which would be administered on a more regional basis in certain areas.

The report gave its backing to the concept of regionalism, whereby there would be a tier between the government and local councils to deal with regions. Its responsibilities could include schools, arterial roads, and sports complexes.

It also contains recommendations on the manner in which councillors and mayors receive allowances or payment.