A young man from Żebbuġ stole the limelight when he managed to get elected, against all odds, as an independent councillor in the local council elections.
In a most suffocating political environment dominated by two political parties that are not inclined to give any quarter likely to encroach upon their turf, as shown by the obstacles they have put over the years to prevent smaller parties from making it to Parliament, the election of Steve Zammit Lupi is refreshing.
It is not for his young age that his election is interesting but for the views he has about politics and the role he says he would like to play in the council. Significantly, quite a good number of young people contested the elections, an indication of a healthy interest in politics among the young.
However, make no mistake, the first interest of most candidates fielded by the two main political parties was not that of their locality but of seeing their party getting the most votes. Any view contrary to this will be taken with a pinch of salt.
Labour Party leader Joseph Muscat struck a hugely discordant note when he turned the local European Parliament elections into a personal contest between him and the Nationalist Party leader. Such a glaring partisan move offers little chance of seeing the cultivation and growth of a more reasoned motivation in the way candidates are expected to act once they are elected.
The newly-elected independent Żebbuģ councillor believes his election could very well mean that people are ready to put candidates and ideas before partisan politics. That is the way it should be and he ought to be commended for working towards this end.
May he be strong enough to make the other members of the two parties on the council agree to put their party badges away now so they can all put their heads together and work in the interest of their locality. If they have already done so, well done to them.
In the run-up to the elections, the government bent over backwards to see what it could come up with in the effort to impress the electorate about the extent of the work the administration is carrying out. Indeed, it skilfully chose election time to launch the long-trumpeted reform of local councils, going into overdrive to declare that the plan is to turn them into “councils of excellence”.
But people have now become accustomed to such hot air. Only time will tell if this will come about. What most would like to see is a real effort being made to help councils make a difference in their locality, not by stripping them of responsibilities but by giving them the resources they need to carry out their work.
Year after year, the Auditor General’s office reports recurring shortcomings in the running of councils, with one of the most worrying being that procurement is not carried out in line with “pertinent” regulations. Another weakness is that accounting records are not properly updated, resulting in financial statements that do not give a true and fair view of their financial situation.
If the administration wants local councils to succeed in the principal aim of improving the quality of life of the people, it should first assure them of the State’s continued support.
This is a Times of Malta print editorial