The Nationalist Party is defying government plans to postpone all local elections until 2020 by presenting 31 new candidates for council elections scheduled for next March.
Addressing the party’s general council in Gozo, PN leader Simon Busuttil sounded another warning against such plans, remarking these elections cannot be called off “simply because there is someone who thinks that he can meddle with democracy”.
Though no final decision had been taken yet, the government is arguing that calling off the next two round of council elections would save money and reduce election fatigue.
However, Dr Busuttil said: “We will keep insisting that the elections scheduled for next year and March 2017 have to be held according to the schedule listed in the Local Councils Act which the Labour Party had supported in Parliament.”
Dr Busuttil said that such things would only be expected in non-democratic countries like Hong Kong where there were fierce protests against the Chinese government that wanted to impose its own candidates on the electorate.
In his speech Dr Busuttil also announced that the PN would hold the first ever general convention following the overhaul of the party’s statute.
Someone thinks he can meddle with democracy
This event is set for the last weekend of the month, and thousands of party members will be eligible to take part.
Dr Busuttil said that this convention was testament to the ongoing reforms to modernise, strengthen and give a professional administrative structure to the party.
“It is only if we have a strong party, that we can aspire to offer a viable alternative and win the people’s trust,” Dr Busuttil said.
Touching on the economic situation he expressed concern that the government was creating social dependency, as there had been a huge increase in the public sector during Labour’s first 13 months in office.
Dr Busuttil said that excluding some 600 bus drivers who were previously employed by Arriva and were transferred on the government books, the increase amounted to 10 new employees every day.
The PN leader sounded a warning over public finances, saying that in the first 18 months of this administration the national debt had soared by €413 million.
Pitching his address to the Gozitan councillors, he said that people were left in the dark over two major projects announced in this year’s Budget for the sister island: the new law courts and a home for the elderly.