MP asks if local elections will be postponed

Labour MP Anglu Farrugia said in parliament yesterday that it would be interesting to know whether the government was considering postponing the local elections due in March because of the timing of the EU referendum and the general election.

Dr Farrugia said local council elections, involving a third of the electorate of Malta and Gozo, were seen by the political parties as a measure of their popularity.

It would therefore be interesting to know what the Nationalist government would do next March.

Some were speculating that it would not be wise for the government to risk holding the local elections in March. It may therefore suspend the local elections if the referendum was held before the general election or if the timing of the general election was too close to the council elections.

He did not know what the government would do, Dr Farrugia said, but clearly postponing the local elections was an option for the government.

The MP was speaking during a debate on a bill which amends the Local Councils Act so that local councils would not be able to operate a deficit.

Dr Farrugia in his speech said the opposition agreed with this bill.

Referring to the amendment dealing with those who could contest local council elections, Dr Farrugia observed that a large number of residents were foreigners who could still vote in council elections as they appeared on the Special Register. Foreigners resident in Malta should be encouraged to participate and contest local elections since they could give valuable input to the councils.

A handicap to having such participation by foreigners was the involvement of political parties in local elections. Foreigners could hardly be expected to involve themselves in political parties.

The Labour Party was always against party participation in local elections but had no option but to do so when the Nationalist Party insisted on doing so.

Referring to other sections of the bill, Dr Farrugia called for a clarification on the clause which said that the councils of localities having a population of 3,000 residents could be assigned one public sector worker on a full time basis.

He observed that several local councils had a population of less than 2,500 especially in Gozo.

Dr Farrugia said that in terms of this bill, the Local Councils Department would be able to withhold funds earmarked for councils which would have run up a deficit. There should be a parliamentary framework so that in cases of gross mismanagement and negligence by the councils, the necessary investigations could be carried out immediately.

Other speakers in yesterday's debate will be reported in another issue. The bill was later given a second reading.