Monique Agius, AD candidate for the Żebbuġ council, said: “As a candidate for the Local Council in Żebbuġ, I am meeting Żebbuġ residents and I am listening to what they have to say. Many are unhappy with the neglect that is felt across the village. This because many streets are still full of potholes despite the many promises that were made a long time ago. Instead, some of them were just patched up in the past few weeks. Then we witnessed how a PN Councillor and Candidate decided to flatten a street in the Tal-Grazzja area in order to score some good points with the residents. Perhaps we should ask whether he was engaged by the Council to do this because a councillor cannot also be engaged on Local Council works by the same council. One should also ask what kind of permit did he obtain for this work and, if he did not have one, why he was not stopped by the Local Council.

There has to be a bigger commitment towards transparency. Recently we have seen in the papers how a private company was paid around €30,000 for consultancy services. What type of consultancy did the council need if it was ready to fork out such amounts of money? These are wasted financial resources which could have been utilised for the benefit of the locality and its residents. and possibly there would also have been less debt. From the latest auditor general’s report on the financial situation of Local councils, it emerges clearly that Żebbuġ is the second most indebted council. Realistically, what will the newly elected council be able to do, when the allocated funds which are already not enough for the council to operate normally will also have to be used to pay back the accumulated debt of €1,300,000?

The council needs to be more pro-active where waste is concerned. Therefore, as AD we are saying that apart from recycling waste, there can be a wider recycling policy. A local plan is needed for the management of waste based on the national plan which sets as its target that by 2050 we will have to become a zero waste society. One of my proposals for Żebbuġ is that eventually we will establish a ‘free cycle shop’ where people will be able to deposit clothes which are still in good condition to be taken by other people. Until this space is established, this is being done in the form of an activity where residents meet and may exchange clothes. There will also be a series of information sessions about how one can reduce waste, and the council will be setting an example of real environment-friendly practices and waste reduction.

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Haż-Żebbuġ: l-elezzjoni ta’ kunsillier ta’ AD tiżgura impenn, serjeta, trasparenza u garanzija ta’ ideat ġodda u friski.

Ic-Chairperson ta’ Alternattiva Demokratika, il-Prof. Arnold Cassola, qal: “Il-Kunsill ta’ Ħaż-Żebbuġ għandu negative working capital ta’ miljun u 300,000 ewro.  Kif irnexxielu jasal għal hekk? Minkejja dan hemm telqa’ kbira f’dak li għandu x’jaqsam mat-toroq tal-post, tberbiq ta’ eluf kbar fis-sena għal konsulenzi li mhumiex prijorita’ u politika fqira ta’ riċiklaġġ ta’ skart u ħwejjeġ użati.  L-elezzjoni ta’ Monique Agius mhux ser issolvi dawn il-problemi kollha bħal xi maġija, imma tiżgura impenn, serjeta’, trasparenza u garanzija ta’ ideat ġodda u friski.

Monique Agius, il-kandidata ta’ AD ghall-Kunsill ta’ Haz-Zebbug, qalet: Bħala kandidata għall-eleżżjonijiet tal-Kunsilli Lokali fuq Ħaż-Żebbuġ, qiegħda niltaqa’ mar-residenti Żebbuġin u nisma’ dak li għandhom xi jgħidu. Ħafna huma mdejqin bit-telqa li tinħass fir-raħal.  Dan għaliex bosta toroq ghadhom mimlijin hofor minkejja li ilhom isiru wegħdiet dwarhom żmien twil. Uhud minnhom minflok gew imraqqa’ fl-aħħar ġimgħat. Imbagħad rajna kif Kunsillier u Kandidat tal-PN biex jaghmilha tal-helu qabad u witta triq fin-naħa Tal-Grażżja. Tajjeb li wieħed jistaqsi jekk dan kienx imqabbad mill-kunsill, għax f’dak il-każ kunsillier ma jistax ikun inkarigat minn xoghol  tal-istess kunsill. Tajjeb ukoll li wieħed jistaqsi x’tip ta’ permess kellu u jekk ma kellux permess għalfejn dana ma twaqqafx mill-kunsill.

Hemm bżonn ikun hemm iktar impenn favur it-trasparenża.  Dan l-aħħar ħareġ fil-gażżetti li kumpanija privata ngħatat madwar €30,000 f’konsulenżi. X’tip ta’ konsulenżi kellu bżonn il-kunsill biex ħallas dawn il-flejjes kollha? Dawn flus mohlija li setgħu intużaw għal-lokalita’ u għar-residenti u possibilment kien ikun hemm inqas dejn ukoll. Mill-aħħar rapport tal-awditur generali dwar il-qaghda finanzjarja tal-Kunsilli Lokali, johrog car li Ħaż-Żebbuġ huwa t-tieni kunsill l-iktar midjun. Realistikament x’se jkun kapaċi jagħmel il-kunsill fis-snin li ġejjin meta l-fondi allokati li diġa’ mhumiex biżżejjed biex il-kunsill ikun jista’ jopera normalment, ser ikollhom ukoll jindirizzaw id-dejn akkumulat ta’ €1,300,000?

Il-kunsill għandu jkun iktar pro-attiv fejn jidħol l-iskart, għalhekk bħala AD qegħdin ngħidu li apparti l-iskart li jiġi riċiklat issa, jkun hemm politika usa’ fejn jidħol riċiklaġġ. Hemm htiega ta’ pjan lokali ghall-immanggjar tal-iskart ibbazat fuq il-pjan nazzjonali li jpoggi bhala mira li sal-2050 inkunu socjeta’ li ma tiggenerax skart (zero waste society). 

Waħda mill-proposti tiegħi għal Ħaż-Żebbuġ hi li eventawlment jitwaqqaf  ‘free cycle shop’ fejn nies jistgħu jpoġġu ħwejjeġ li għadhom tajbin biex jitieħdu minn nies oħra. Sakemm jitwaqqaf dan l-ispażju, din issir f’’forma ta’ attivita li fiha jintlaqqghu r-residenti u nies jistgħu jpartu l-ħwejjeġ. Ikun hemm ukoll sensiela ta’ info sessions ta’ kif tista’ tnaqqas l-iskart, u l-kunsill ikun dak il-post ta’ eżempju minn fejn prattiċi li huma favur l-ambjent u tnaqqis tal-iskart jibdew jkunu ppratikati.