True democracy at work

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Prime Minister's dialogue session with the public at Castille. It was a great experience which went beyond my expectations.

The word "dialogue" has been bandied about by politicians for a long time. This exercise, however, is largely the monopoly of the Nationalist Party, which has always been close to the people and practised what it preached. Our previous Prime Minister and many ministers organised such sessions on many occasions in the past: on Sunday mornings in party clubs, Taht it-tinda (Under a tent) on successive Independence Day celebrations and prior to general elections. I had never attended, so the meeting at Castille was a first for me.

It covered the areas of education, training and employment. A packed hall representing all sectors of society was asked for proposals on the way the €805 million allocated to Malta under the 2007-2013 EU budget should be spent in these areas. It was also invited to criticise where it deemed fit. Lawrence Gonzi asked his audience to be adventurous and declared that decisions on spending these funds had to be made some time and sooner rather than later. He then sat back and listened to no fewer than 40 interventions for well over an hour.

The event showed true democracy working at its best. It was impeccably organised, with courteous ushers and a customer care desk, where those present were encouraged to put their proposals on record. And the number of proposals was impressive and wide-ranging, as were the questions and, indeed, the criticism. They ranged from training to research, from opportunities for the disabled and pensioners to the environment; an unending barrage, if you like, with members of the audience vying keenly for an opportunity to participate. Had the session not been brought to a close much after the allocated time it would have gone on and on. The atmosphere was relaxed and convivial.

The ministers responsible for the areas under discussion sat opposite the Prime Minister within the crowd, for a crowd it was, while the Prime Minister himself had members of the public by his side. His reply at the end was optimistic and enthusiastic. He was fully receptive.

He said that most of the proposals put forward had already been moved by his ministers and that this meant that all were largely on the same wavelength. This encouraged him to move forward in the implementation of these ideas, subject, of course, to rules of the EU which governed the use of allocated funds. But that where any projects were not covered by these rules he would do his utmost to fund them under the national budget.

It is significant that the Prime Minister receives members of the public in his own offices. How many have done this? It shows he wants to share. That he is not the one and all, but only a primus inter pares among the people. The decisions are ultimately his and those of the Cabinet of ministers, but the projects should be "owned" by the public.

Proposals for projects to be funded by the €805 million are streaming in from the various ministries and government departments, but that is not enough. These entities themselves, although important, are not the where and all. After all the funds belong to us all and it is important for the people to participate, to have their say in the spending. Obviously, everyone has different priorities and it is the government's task to bring these priorities together, carefully balancing the various needs. This should prove easier as our economy seems to be improving as we move towards alignment with the Maastricht criteria, enabling Malta to join the eurozone in 2008.

The Prime Minister's open enthusiasm and even exuberance about the exciting and successful times ahead filled his audience with courage and determination. It encouraged us to share in the hard work required to shape Malta's future in a collective effort. To utilise to the full and in the best manner the funds that the Prime Minister and his government brought us, and this was not an easy task. I believe that this is recognised right across the political spectrum. Surely this feat cannot be criticised.

It now remains for the Malta Labour Party to join the government and work together towards achieving what we deserve. It was encouraging, for example, to see officials of the General Workers' Union not only present at the meeting but actively participating with very valid proposals and ideas.

I say Yes Prime Minister, keep it up. And to the public, a strong recommendation that they participate in the many dialogue meetings still to come. It is truly an experience not to be forgotten.