Last weekend, both major political parties held their annual fund-raising marathons, bringing the political season to a close for a short break so that all can focus their attention on the Christmas period and the variety of meanings it holds to each and every one of us.
I have always been impressed by fund-raising marathons. The sheer magnitude of the logistical and organisational effort, which includes the setting up and execution of a full schedule of live events on television and in the party clubs, is fascinating. The marathons themselves bring to an end weeks of campaigning and promotion.
But what interests me the most is the interaction generated by the events themselves. The marathons usually provide the only possible opportunity for party members and enthusiasts to visit their political headquarters. From this point of view, the regular opening of doors during the building of the Dar Ċentrali was particularly moving because it saw marathons being held and, therefore, the people uniting with their party of choice.
When we asked our members to contribute to the party, they members gained ownership over their party as, brick by brick, they saw their headquarters being built.
Fund-raising marathons also bring together a huge number of volunteers who all contribute towards making the event a success. What strikes me most in this sense is the level of grassroot support, mainly manifested in the form of our sectional committees.
The grassroots are the life-blood of all political parties. It is only through its on-the-field experience that a party can fashion its policies towards the needs of the people. For how can a party represent a segment of the population if it does not have its ears firmly rooted to the ground?
• The government celebrated 15 years of local government this month by hosting a week of activities which saw Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said tour the various departments, associations and organisations linked to local councils.
In my opinion, the 15th anniversary served two important functions.
The first, as we all know, was that of laying out a vision for local council reform following months of consultation with virtually every entity on our islands. It appears that the debate has been healthy and that consensus may be achievable on most points of the reform.
The second function of this anniversary was that of assessing the general direction our local councils were following when they were born and the path they shall be walking down in the future.
Local government has always been firmly rooted in the principle of subsidiarity, that is, the belief that decisions should be taken at the level closest to the people living within the locality. The establishment of local councils has given the opportunity to hundreds of citizens to give a valid and important contribution within their localities through their candidature in local elections.
Over the years, however, the role of local councils within their localities has been greatly magnified so that today they manage recreational areas and playing fields, the building and maintenance of our roads and pavements, the management of waste through the collection and maintenance of waste separation sites, traffic management, the running of civic centres and day centres for the elderly, among many others. In this sense, the reform should find a means to better train councillors and secretarial staff while also allocating more funding across the board to the general running of councils.
The general reform of our local government should also seek to promote sustainable localities as promoted in this year's budget. Local councils can no longer be viewed as a sort of turnkey contractor that oversees the running of a project, in this case, the running of the locality. On the contrary, local government should emulate the policy direction taken by central government so that we can all work towards a common aim. What use is it, for example, to promote a policy of recycling waste if it is not well promoted and well supported among the grassroots?
Like the fund-raising marathons, the central government should also continue to keep its ears firmly to the ground to build on the needs and aspirations of the people it represents. Sustainable localities are achievable if our communities gain ownership of the central project they choose to embark on.
Mr Casa is a Nationalist member of Parliament.
david@davidcasa.eu, www.davidcasa.eu