The planet of the hamlets

Dictionaries widely define a hamlet as a rural settlement too small to be considered a village although, sometimes, the word is used to denote a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then reclassified as a village.

The Local Councils Act 1993, which first established local government in Malta, provided for the constitution of 67 local councils, later increased to 68, 14 of which in Gozo. Seventeen years later, administrative committees, which began to function in the beginning of July 2010, were additionally set up to run a number of identified hamlets.

Every four years, five candidates are elected by public franchise to serve on the hamlet’s administrative committee. The committee’s chairman, besides handling the administrative committee matters, may take part in local council meetings, although s/he may not vote in decisions taken by the council. In parallel partnership spirit, the mayor of the locality or a nominated representative of the local council may participate in all administrative committee meetings.

The local council’s executive secretary also serves as executive secretary to the administrative committee in the locality concerned and is responsible for managing the committee’s finances besides the council’s.

Administrative committees have been allocated funds with which to operate in their delineated locality. This is worked out in accordance with the same formula that is applied for allocating public funds to the local council. The decisions taken by administrative committees on how to utilise these funds must however be first passed on to the locality’s local council for ratification.

At first, I myself was very sceptical about local councils, until I joined the hamlet team and recognised the hard tasks these small committees have to perform. I would not be exaggerating when stating that we have to struggle through thick and thin to make sure we address the needs of the locality for which we are responsible while working unerringly within the parameters that have been set for us. In a restricted sense, hamlet administrative committees are only satellites moving within the local councils’ orbits.

From a technical point of view, the most important factor that should characterise these administrative committees is transparency. There may be those whose eyes will roll with ironic disdain upon hearing the old adage that what is good one day will end up being irrelevant tomorrow. However, it has been proven before that certain clichés are just catchy reflections of reality at only one point in time.

I do understand that the funds allocated for administrative committees are voted as supplements to local councils’ finances, yet, I cannot agree with the concept that the administrative committees can neither have nor manage their own separate bank accounts, completely distinct from the local councils’. Division of responsibility can give a clearer picture to our community of what we are doing for our respective localities. Having both the administrative committee and the local council drink from the same cup is needlessly exacerbating ill-feeling about straitjacket functionality among ourselves.

We have all solemnly sworn to conscientiously perform our duties for the community’s benefit in terms of the Maltese Constitution. We have a responsibility to earn and live up to electors’ trust. Citizens’ respect is not gained overnight. Once administrative committees are vested with authority to issue tenders and award contracts for projects considered beneficial for their localities, a cogent line to pursue would be to manage one’s own housekeeping and so committees should be trusted enough to be given the opportunity to administer their own affairs. As accountants universally agree, there can be no accountability without responsibility.

The hamlet dimension is still in its infancy. There are dependable persons beyond reproach in these communities. Giving them the right tools to work with, while subjecting them to a secure internal system of checks and balances, fuels the fire with which administrative committee members go about improving the hamlet’s general environment.

The hamlets’ first birthday will soon come this summer. Would it be too much to ask that administrative committees be given a nice present for the occasion by undoing, with proper safeguards, the umbilical cord that continues to restrain their manoeuvrability?

robvb@maltanet.net

The author, an international accountant and certified secretary, is a member of the administrative committee of Kappara.