Residents left in the lurch

The administrative committees' elections in the various hamlets were held for the first time in Malta on March 27. Surprisingly, the Labour Party only fielded 10 candidates as opposed to the 36 candidates contesting under the Nationalist Party's name. This gaping difference is mind-boggling, to say the least.

The first batch of mini-elections included Bubaqra, Fleur-de-Lys, Kappara, Paceville, Madliena, Marsalforn and Xlendi and, believe it or not, the PN gained the majority of councillors in the seven of them. The second batch will be held on June 5 in Burmarrad, Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Baħrija, Guardamangia, Ħal Farruġ, Swatar, Tal-Virtù and Wardija. Who knows how Labour will perform then?

The committees, each made up of five members to be led by a chairman, will be allocated a portion of the budget of their respective councils, which will be calculated mostly on the basis of the population of their hamlets. They will be able to take all decisions related to their community and they will also be able to apply for special funds from the government and the EU.

When, in 1994, the Nationalist government created the local councils, Labour refused to participate in the elections. The main reason its leader gave was that contesting the elections would lead to more polarisation in Malta. Six years later Labour performed one of its many policy u-turns and officially started fielding local council candidates under its umbrella. Since then Labour has been quite keen on officially participating in local government elections although, once again, it did not want political parties to participate in the elections for these administrative committees. Is that the reason why it hardly bothered to field any candidates in last March's elections? Or was its poor performance due to the fact that potential Labour candidates turned down the offer?

The Nationalist government's decision to create local councils was based on its policy to decentralise government and to reach out, as much as possible, to all the localities in Malta and Gozo. The government believes that the elected representatives in each of the 68 local councils would be in a better position to identify, hands-on, the priorities of their zone and, at the same time, offer the residents a much greater say in what was to happen in their community.

Unlike Labour, the Nationalists' enthusiasm has never flickered and that is why, to strengthen the councils further, it decided to set up several administrative committees to meet the special needs of all the minor localities scattered all over the Maltese islands.

There is no doubt that these local governments have been a great success. Our localities have been spruced up and embellished and resident families are being offered a plethora of personalised and popular educational, social and cultural services and events such as starter courses for the computer-illiterate, lectures, health services, outings for the elderly, cultural activities promoting our folklore, our traditions, our cuisine etc.

Over the years, the Nationalist government increased local councils' responsibilities and, every year since their birth, it also increased their funds. Unfortunately, this did not happen when, under the 1996-98 Labour government, the funds allocated in each budget to local councils was drastically reduced. Labour's recent apparent apathy in the elections of the administrative committees is not only reminiscent of Labour's negative attitude towards local councils; it is also rather threatening to our democracy.

Hopefully, next time around Labour will acknowledge their importance and bend over backwards to offer residents a wider choice of contestants. After all, major political parties have the duty to offer each and every one of us the chance to be represented. The decision on whether we take up the opportunity or not lies entirely with us, and when one of the major players shirks its duty and decides not to tango it is only we who suffer.

In the interest of all the residents the Labour Party should always present a strong team of candidates who, when elected, will be in a position to work for a better milieu in the hamlet, upgrade the infrastructure, embellish and create more recreational spaces, protect the environment and national heritage, offer better social, educational and cultural services, introduce new ones and propose new initiatives etc.

Now, before someone retorts that it is none of my business what Labour does and that I should concern myself with what the government is doing, let me just say that, as far as the PN government is concerned, I can only congratulate it for introducing these administrative committees but I certainly cannot applaud Labour for its lack of diligent support to this laudable initiative.

Furthermore, Labour's recurring underperformance could create a democratic deficit. Both major parties form an integral part of central government. Likewise, both should participate fully in local governments, even in the little hamlets.

We are all Maltese and I sincerely believe that, no matter what political "colour", creed, age or gender, we must all be given an equal opportunity to be represented. That is what people expect in a healthy democracy. Thanks to Labour's lack of effort to participate and seek representation in the seven hamlets mentioned above, some Labour residents have now been left flying solo.