Scroll down for the English version
F’April li għadda preżentajt vidjo b’xi ħsibijiet dwar kif naħseb li s-sistema tal-Kunsilli Lokali hija ddiżinjata sabiex tfalli u tibqa’ tipproduċi “festival” ieħor fejn il-kostitwenti jivvutaw lil dak jew dik il-kandidata li l-aktar tkun laqtithom waqt il-kampanja elettorali, bħalma jiġri fil-Eurovision jew X-Factor. F’dan l-artiklu xtaqt nixħet dawl fuq wieħed mill-elementi kruċjali li tassew qed ifalli fejn tidħol it-trasparenza u kontabbiltà tal-ħidma fil-Kunsilli Lokali.
B’riferenza lejn iċ-Ċirkulari Numru 12 tal-2019, intitolata “Responsabbiltajiet assenjati lill-Kunsillieri” li kienet maħruġa mid-Diviżjoni għall-Gvern Lokali fi ħdan is-Segretarjat Parlamentari għall-Gvern Lokali u Komunitajiet, ninsab tassew imħasseb dwar kemm il-Kunsilliera iwettqu ħidmiethom skont ir-responsabbiltajiet mogħtija lilhom. Lil hin mit-tibdil ta’ bozza maqtugħa u kull għajnuna prattika, jinteressani nkun naf kif il-Kunsilliera jistgħu jaqdu dmirijiethom b’mod responsabbli.
Skont iċ-Ċirkolari 12/2019, fl-ewwel laqgħa tal-Kunsill Lokali, il-kunsilliera lokali jiġu assenjati responsabbiltajiet speċifiċi mis-Sindku. Dawn ir-responsabbiltajiet, deskritti fl-Erbatax-il Skeda tal-Att dwar il-Gvern Lokali, ivarjaw minn indafa u ambjent għall-integrazzjoni soċjali u l-benesseri tal-annimali. L-intenzjoni hija li l-kunsilliera jiffukaw fuq dawn l-oqsma, jiffurmaw sottokumitati jekk meħtieġ, u jippreżentaw rapporti annwali dwar l-attivitajiet tagħhom.
Il-mandat huwa ċar, biss inħoss li hemm nuqqas notevoli ta’ dawn ir-rapporti minn ħafna kunsilliera inkluż dawk li rrappreżentawni fl-aħħar snin. Nistenna li l-pubbliku li vvota lil dawn l-istess qaddejja, ikollu aċċess għal dawn ir-rapporti, kemm-il darba dawn ikunu preżentati. Nuqqas ta’ trasparenza tista’ faċilment tostakola l-qafas ta’ responsabbiltà li din iċ-Ċirkolari tfittex li tistabbilixxi. Mingħajr dawn ir-rapporti, huwa diffiċli għall-kostitwenti li jivvalutaw il-prestazzjoni tar-rappreżentanti eletti tagħhom u l-progress li sar f’oqsma ewlenin tal-governanza lokali.
Diversi fatturi jistgħu jikkontribwixxu għan-nuqqas tal-kunsilliera li jippreżentaw ir-rapporti tagħhom. Dawn jinkludu nuqqas ta’ mekkaniżmi ta’ infurzar, sorveljanza insuffiċjenti, u forsi kultura ta’ kompjaċenza fi ħdan il-kunsilli lokali. In-nuqqas ta’ penali jew inċentivi marbuta mas-sottomissjoni ta’ dawn ir-rapporti jfisser li ftit hemm impetu biex il-kunsilliera jikkonformaw ma’ dan ir-rekwiżit. Quddiem ir-realtà plawsibbli fejn uħud mill-Kunsilliera ma jkollhomx kapaċità fakultattiva jew intelletwali li jaqdu l-impenji mgħoddija lilhom, nistaqsi kif il-Gvern jippretendi li din il-ħidma titwettaq kif mistenni u mhux f’livell dilettantesk.
Biex jiġu indirizzati dawn il-kwistjonijiet, jistgħu jittieħdu diversi passi. L-ewwel u qabel kollox, ikun pass għaqli jekk is-sistema elettorali titlob standard ordinarju ta’ edukazzjoni kif ukoll dak ECDL lill-kandidati kollha. B’hekk ikun jista’ jiġi mfassal mekkaniżmu robust biex jiġi żgurat li l-kunsilliera jaderixxu mal-obbligi ta’ rappurtar tagħhom. Dan jista’ jinvolvi verifiki perjodiċi u l-istabbiliment ta’ korp ta’ monitoraġġ biex isegwi l-konformità. Tajjeb ukoll li ssir introduzzjoni ta’ inċentivi għal rappurtar f’waqtu u bir-reqqa, flimkien ma’ penali għan-nuqqas ta’ konformità. Dawn jistgħu jimmotivaw lill-kunsilliera biex jaqdu dmirijiethom b’mod aktar diliġenti. Ladarba dan isir, tajjeb li r-rapporti jkunu faċilment aċċessibbli għall-pubbliku sabiex jitrawwem sens ta’ responsabbiltà. Din it-trasparenza tippermetti wkoll lill-kostitwenti jifhmu u jevalwaw aħjar il-prestazzjoni tar-rappreżentanti tagħhom.
Hekk kif Malta qed tħejji għall-elezzjonijiet tal-Kunsilli Lokali li ġejjin, huwa imperattiv li tiġi eżaminata b’mod kritiku l-aderenza tar-rappreżentanti tagħna mal-impenji mitluba lilhom. In-nuqqas ta’ ħafna kunsilliera li jippreżentaw rapporti annwali dwar ir-responsabbiltajiet assenjati lilhom jenfasizza diskrepanza sinifikanti fil-qafas ta’ governanza attwali. L-indirizzar ta’ din il-kwistjoni jgħin sabiex titrawwem fiduċja pubblika akbar fil-governanza lokali. Ladarba niffukaw fuq dan it-titjib, Malta tista’ tiżgura li l-elezzjonijiet tal-Kunsilli Lokali tagħha mhux biss jirriflettu r-rieda tal-poplu iżda wkoll jippromwovu governanza effettiva u responsabbli fil-livell lokali.
Local Councillors’ responsibilities
Last April I presented a video with some thoughts on how I think the Local Councils system is designed to fail and keep producing another “festival” where constituents vote the one or that candidate who hit them the hardest during the election campaign, as happens in Eurovision or X-Factor. In this article I wanted to shed light on one of the crucial elements that is really failing when it comes to transparency and accountability of the work in Local Councils.
With reference to Circular Number 12 of 2019, entitled “Responsibilities assigned to Councillors” which was issued by the Division for Local Government within the Parliamentary Secretariat for Local Government and Communities, I am deeply concerned about the extent to which Councillors carry out their work according to the responsibilities given to them. Apart from changing a severed lamp and any practical assistance, I am interested in knowing how Councillors can carry out their duties responsibly.
According to Circular 12/2019, at the first meeting of the Local Council, local councillors are assigned specific responsibilities by the Mayor. These responsibilities, described in the Fourteenth Schedule of the Local Government Act, range from cleanliness and environment to social integration and animal welfare. The intention is for councillors to focus on these areas, form subcommittees if necessary, and submit annual reports on their activities.
The mandate is clear, only I feel that there is a noticeable lack of these reports from many councillors including those who represented me in the past years. I expect that the public who voted for these same servants will have access to these reports, as long as they are presented. A lack of transparency could easily hamper the accountability framework that this Circular seeks to establish. Without these reports, it is difficult for constituents to assess the performance of their elected representatives and the progress made in key areas of local governance.
Several factors can contribute to the failure of councillors to submit their reports. These include a lack of enforcement mechanisms, insufficient oversight, and perhaps a culture of complacency within local councils. The absence of penalties or incentives linked to the submission of these reports means that there is little impetus for councillors to comply with this requirement. Faced with the plausible reality where some Councillors do not have an optional or intellectual capacity to fulfil the commitments passed on to them, I wonder how the Government expects this work to be carried out as expected and not at a dilettantesk level.
To address these issues, several steps can be taken. First and foremost, it would be a wise step if the electoral system required an ordinary standard of education as well as an ECDL standard to all candidates. This will allow a robust mechanism to be devised to ensure that councillors adhere to their reporting obligations. This may involve periodic audits and the establishment of a monitoring body to monitor compliance. It is also worth introducing incentives for timely and thorough reporting, together with penalties for non-compliance. They can motivate councillors to carry out their duties more diligently. Once this is done, it is good that the reports are easily accessible to the public in order to foster a sense of responsibility. This transparency also allows constituents to better understand and evaluate the performance of their representatives.
As Malta prepares for the upcoming Local Council elections, it is imperative to critically examine our representatives’ adherence to the commitments requested to them. The failure of many councillors to submit annual reports on the responsibilities assigned to them highlights a significant discrepancy in the current governance framework. Addressing this issue would help to foster greater public trust in local governance. Once we focus on these improvements, Malta can ensure that its Local Council elections not only reflect the will of the people but also promote effective and accountable governance at local level.
