Riforma fil-Kunsilli Lokali - Michael Briguglio

Il-Mument 10 ta' Dicembru 2017

Il-Kunsilli Lokali f’Malta ser jaghlqu 25 sena. Dawn qeghdin jaqdu l-htigijiet tal-lokalitajiet rispettivi taghhom?

Aspett ewlieni f’dan ir-rigward huwa l-finanzi. Il-Kunsilli Lokali ghandhom ghazliet limitati dwar kif jistghu jiggeneraw id-dhul. Id-dhul ewlieni jigi mill-Gvern centrali. Hemm ukoll possibilita’ ta’ dhul minn fondi ta’ l-Unjoni Ewropea, minn skemi specifici tal-Gvern u minn reklamar u certi permessi.

Politika ta’ riforma fil-kunsilli ghandha temfasizza li persentagg tad-dhul Governattiv mill-VAT, turizmu u oqsma ohra jigi maqsum mal-kunsilli.

Izda huwa car li hemm bzonn li l-Kunsilli jkollhom iktar opportunitajiet biex jiggeneraw id-dhul. Dan huwa necessarju biex jigi ffinanzjat xoghol bhal dak infrastrutturali u gbir ta’ l-iskart, kif ukoll inizjattivi bhal dawk  edukazzjonali, socjali u kulturali. Dawn ta’ l-ahhar huma importanti sabiex ikun hemm iktar sigurta’, integrazzjoni socjali u sens ta’ komunita’.

Idealment, l-agenda lokali ta’ Malta temfasizzja id-dicentralizazzjoni sabiex l-ebda gvern ma jkollu poter eccessiv. Permezz tas-sussidjarjeta’, decizzjonijiet li jistghu jittiehdu mill-kunsilli lokali m’ghandhom jittiehdu minn xi Ministru.

Din il-filosofija tista’ twassal sabiex il-kunsilli ikunu iktar sostenibbli. Per ezempju, art tal-gvern tista’ tigi devoluta lill-kunsilli. Parkeggi, bini pubbliku u siti storici jistghu jigu mmanigjati mill-kunsilli, u d-dhul iggenerat jista’ jintuza ghal htigijiet lokali. Biex naghti ezempju prattiku: il-car park pubbliku tax-Xatt ta’ Tas-Sliema huwa ikrah ferm u biex wiehed jipparkja jigi ‘mitlub’ ihallas. Mhux ahjar kieku dawn il-flus imorru ghand il-kunsill sabiex il-car park jigi msebbah u flus ohra jintuzaw ghall-bankini u htigijiet ohra?

Riforma fil-Kunsilli Lokali ghandha tizgura ukoll li l-Kunsilli ikollhom rwol ewlieni fit-tehid tad-decizzjoni ta’ l-Awtorita’ ta’ l-Ippjanar. Decizzjonijiet li jistghu jittiehdu mill-Kunsilli, bhal dawk ta’ enforzar dwar kostruzzjoni u ta’ street markings, ghandhom jittiehdu mill-Kunsilli, u mhux minn entitajiet centralizzati.

Importanti ukoll li skemi lokali bhal dawk ta’ parkegg ghar-residenti ma jkunux diskriminatorji. Ma jistax ikun li pajjzina jibqa karatterizzat minn lokalitajiet b’dawn l-iskemi u ohrajn minghajrom.

Qasam iehor ta’ importanza huwa dak tas-Social Impact Assessment. Jehtieg li l-Kunslli ikollhom fondi u access ghal servizzi professjonali bhal dawk ta’ socjologi, ekonomisti u esperti kulturali sabiex ikun hemm taghrif car dwar demografija, realtajiet socjali, komunitajiet u aspirazzjonijiet tar-residenti. Dan kollu jghin sabiex decizzjonijiet jittiehdu fuq bazi ta’ evidenza.

Il-Kunsilli ghandhom iservu ukoll ta’ centri ta’ servizzi u informazzjoni bhal tfittix ta’ impjieg, kura u pariri professjonali. U l-istess Kunslli ghandhom ikunu mharrga kif jahdmu ahjar ma’ l-istampa u s-socjeta’ civili.

Sfortunatament jidher li l-Gvern Laburista miexi lejn direzzjoni ohra. Iktar ma jghaddi zmien, iktar qed jahtaf poter taht idejh, b’iktar poter f’idejn il-Ministri.

Ezempju ta’ dan huwa l-enfurzar. Filwaqt li l-Kunsilli ta’ kuljum jaffacjaw abbuzi f’oqsma bhall-kostruzzjoni, skart, parkegg abbuziv u storbju, l-istess kunsilli qed jispiccaw jittalbu mal-Gvern biex ikun hemm enforzar.  Dan mhux sew.

Ezempju iehor hu l-kisi ta’ toroq. Hemm min qed jghid li l-programm ta’ seba’ snin tal-Gvern ser jikkonsiti minn kisi ta’ ftit pulzieri fit-toroq madwar Malta u Ghawdex. Jekk dan huwa l-kas, mhux ahjar kieku dan ix-xoghol isir mill-Kunsilli u jsir b’mod olistiku?

Iktar ma jkun hemm poter f’idejn il-Ministri, iktar ikun hemm tentazzjoni ghall-koruzzjoni . Tista’ tinqatel is-sens ta’ inizjattiva fil-kunsilli lokali.

Minn naha l-ohra, id-dicentralizzazjoni tista’ twassal ghal Kunsilli iktar incentivati biex ikunu kreattivi u innovattivi. Dan jista’ jinkoragixxi iktar sens civiku u iktar sens ta’ komunita’. B’hekk ikollna Kunsilli Lokali attivi u b’ruh socjali, u mhux Kunsilli Lokali tallaba tal-Ministri.

Workers in the community

Michael Briguglio

Times of Malta 12 September 2016

“For the first time in history, the unemployment rate in Malta dropped to under four per cent”. This triumphant statement was made by the Department of Information last month. Technically speaking, the statement is correct. At 3.9 per cent, Malta’s unemployment rate also happens to be the lowest in the European Union.

Just as the government was busy promoting this achievement, the Times of Malta published some facts that shed further light on the matter.

Basically, it transpired that the newly-launched Community Work Scheme Enterprise Foundation absorbed 567 long-term unemployed individuals from the 4,033 registered unemployed, thus resulting in a downward revision of Malta’s official unemployment rate.

This move was carried out by the Jobs Plus agency (the former Employment and Training Corporation) and these people are now being paid the minimum wage, courtesy of the taxpayer.

They are full-time employees - “so far, for five years” - with the public service in a scheme run by the General Workers’ Union. They are said to perform tasks with local councils, carry out maintenance work at schools and other public entities and assist NGOs.

The Ministry for Education and Employment has hailed this initiative as one which provides “experience and skill-building rather than fixed employment, while individuals are helped in the process of finding work in the private sector”.

Is this initiative justified or not?

The Community Work Scheme requires visibility, transparency, accountability and auditing

I think there are different ways at looking at this issue and these are not necessarily exclusive of each other.

One interpretation would welcome this initiative as one that gives dignity to people who were otherwise unemployable and who are now being productive instead of welfare dependent.

This would be in synch with the social policy perspective known as welfare-to-work. Here, people are incentivised towards employment. Other schemes along these lines include the tapering of benefits for persons who enter employment, the provision of universal childcare facilities for working parents and investment in training for unemployed workers.

This interpretation is being put forward by the government but can easily be supported by those – myself included - who believe in a progressive social policy that aims to empower people.

Yet, another interpretation would suggest investigating what is actually being carried out by these workers. Are they really being productive and is their work being audited?

In this regard, some local councils have complained that workers are giving less output than what is expected from full-timers. This is quite common in similar schemes, which have been in place under different administrations.

Whether such workers are productive or not depends on various factors, ranging from their attitude to the type of jobs they are being assigned.

Local councils rely on goodwill and the power of persuasion because ultimate authority over such workers lies elsewhere.

A more cynical interpretation of such schemes would enquire whether the jobs and conditions given to the workers are in any way related to constituency requirements of respective ministers and other politicians in government.

And, sometimes, ministers might feel jealous when rising star candidates from local councils are performing well, especially if they are deemed to be competitors in general elections.

Finally, another interpretation of this initiative would be that the government is carrying out an exercise of creative accounting, which conveniently lowers the official unemployment rate.

This interpretation has its strengths but one should also keep in mind that Malta’s private sector keeps creating thousands of new jobs, to the benefit of Malta’s economy. Yet, paradoxically, there are also many workers who are experiencing increased hardships due to low wages.

In my view, the Community Work Scheme is in itself a good idea. But it requires visibility, transparency, accountability and auditing, especially since it is financed through public expenditure. Entities using the service of its workers should also have a greater say in its operations and implementation.