Politics and local councils

I think that few would deny that local councils have been a success. Although many residents often complain about their local council, it is an undeniable fact that the latter have served to improve the quality of life of the people residing in their localities. Residents now have more and better access to various services. Furthermore, embellishment works have made our towns and villages more attractive places to live in.

It is not at all healthy when local councils become an arena of backroom manoeuvres- Desmond Zammit Marmarà

However, local councils in Malta today face various problems that should be tackled if we wish to go on improving local government. I believe that one of the greatest problems is the way local councils have been politicised.

I am one of those who believe that local councils would function much better if the political parties were not involved. However, since the involvement of the political parties is today a fact of life, we can, at least, strive to keep partisan politics out of local government as much as possible in the interests of the residents of a locality.

One of the things that all councillors should understand is that they are there to serve all the residents of a locality.

I am worried, for instance, when I sometimes see Facebook pages where local council candidates presented by a particular political party define themselves as “politicians”. I have even met councillors who actually introduce themselves to people starting with: “Hello, I am a politician…”

When councillors see themselves as, first and foremost, politicians, one is asking for trouble.

In fact, I believe that it is this mistaken perception of seeing oneself as a politician that has led to so many situations where local councils cease to function in the best interests of the residents.

If a councillor sees him/herself as a politician before everything else, then several important questions are raised: Does loyalty to one’s political party come before loyalty to the residents of a locality?

What happens if the best interests of the residents conflict with the partisan interests of one’s political party? Should a councillor elected on a political party ticket accept interference from his/her political party?

The situation can get quite complicated. One can mention councillors who are in a minority in a local council. It is their sworn duty to work in the best interests of the residents of their locality. Now take a case where a local council with a majority of councillors from one particular political party and a minority from the opposing political party has a very bad name with the residents because the latter perceive it to be deficient in carrying out its duties.

The minority councillors from the opposing party set to work, cooperating fully with the councillors in a majority, carrying out their duties conscientiously. By the end of the local council’s term, the picture has completely changed and the residents now praise the local council for its commitment.

All well and good if the story ended there. What actually happens, however, is that when elections are approaching, the political party enjoying the majority of councillors starts to boast about how efficient are the local councils where it enjoys a majority, citing this particular local council as an example. This means that the sterling work of the minority councillors has served to provide the opposing political party with positive results which it can use to gain political mileage to the detriment of the minority councillors’ political party.

Such partisan political exploitation of good work carried out is one of the reasons why we have had so many problems with local councils and why so many people seem to have lost faith in them. It is a pity because there are many success stories of councillors from opposing political parties working together in the best interests of the residents of a locality. Some of the results obtained by such local councils have been really impressive.

Unfortunately, however, we have also seen some local councils torn apart by internecine “warfare” between councillors from different political parties (and even from the same political party). It is not at all healthy when local councils become an arena of backroom manoeuvres, backstabbing and Machiavellian intrigues. It is not at all healthy when political parties dictate the course of action which councillors should follow.

It is perhaps utopian now to imagine local councils without the participation of political parties. However, it is quite possible to ameliorate the present situation by having councillors who have the guts to put the interests of the residents of their locality before the partisan interests of their political party. In so doing, they will be loyal not only to their oath of office but even to their own political party.

At the end of the day, it is a fact that every political party in Malta has the best interests of all the Maltese people as its primary aim. Public office as a service to the community, irrespective of political expediency, fulfils such an aim.