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Jixirqilna aħjar, jixirqilna dinjita'

Dan l-artiklu deher fin-Nazzjon tal-Ħamis 9 ta' April 2015



Nhar is-Sibt ser ikollna opportunita’ oħra fejn nerġgħu insemmgħu leħinna b’waħda mill-akbar għodod li l-poplu għandu f’demokrazija: il-vot. Ħa nkunu qed nivvutaw għall-ewwel darba f’referendum abrogattiv mgħajjat mill-poplu, għodda demokratika u dritt ċivili li daħħal Partit Nazzjonalista wara li l-Gvern Laburista tal-1997 irrifjuta li jintroduċi. Huwa l-ewwel referendum li fih il-partiti politiċi ma ħadux pożizzjoni uffiċċjali, u qed iħallu f’idejn il-poplu jagħmel l-għażla tiegħu jekk jixtieqx li tibqa’ ssir kaċċa fir-rebbiegħa jew le. Huwa pożittiv li f’pajjiżna qed naraw id-demokrazija isseħħ b’dan il-mod ukoll, fejn il-poplu meta jħoss li l-politiċi naqsu jew ma ħadux azzjoni jkun hu stess li jieħu l-inizjattivi biex jibdel liġi.


Apparti r-referendum pero’, nofs il-poplu nhar is-Sibt ser ikun ukoll qiegħed jivvota għall-Kunsilli Lokali tiegħu. Dawn mhumiex elezzjonijiet li ser jeleġġu Gvern, imma huma elezzjonijiet li ser jeleġġu r-rappreżentanti tiegħek fil-Kunsill tal-lokalita’ tiegħek. U allura tajjeb li wieħed iħares lejn id-differenza kbira bejn is-serjeta’ li biha tmexxew Kunsilli b’maġġoranza Nazzjonalista, u Kunsilli b’maġġoranza Laburista.


Eżempju per eċċellenza huwa l-Mosta, fejn wara tliet snin ta’ maġġoranza Nazzjonalista seħħet bidla totali. Toroq ġodda, ġonna ġodda, pavimentar ta’ sqaqien, restawr ta’ wirt storiku, tisbieħ ambjentali. Lanqas paragun mas-snin ta’ tmexxija Laburista fejn il-Kunsill Lokali lanqas biss kien jiltaqa’ u fejn ma sar l-ebda proġett ġdid.


L-istess ħaġa tidher f’San Pawl il-Baħar, fejn bil-maqlub, wara li telgħet maġġoranza Laburista tliet snin ilu, f’San Pawl il-Baħar jidher stat ta’ telqa u żdingar u ma sar l-ebda proġett ġdid. Tibdil fis-Segretarji Eżekuttivi, riżenji, bidla tas-Sindku, diżgwid li ma ta l-ebda riżultat pożittiv għar-residenti. U dan minkejja d-deficit kbir li sar fil-finanzi tal-Kunsill Lokali.


F’Ħaż-Żebbuġ, rajna kif il-kultura ta’ iffangar mill-ħbieb tal-qalba issa niżlet anke’ fil-Kunsilli Lokali immexxija mill-Partit Laburista. Ex-kandidat tal-Partit Laburista ingħata €30,000 f’sena għall-konsulenza għall-attivitajiet u marketing. Jaf jonfoqhom flus il-poplu milli jidher is-Sur Alfred Grixti. Ħasra li dan hu l-istess persuna li l-Gvern poġġa jamministra l-Fondazzjoni għas-Servizzi ta’ Ħarsien Soċjali, f’waħda mill-ħafna ħatriet ‘tagħna lkoll’ li issa drajna nisimgħu bihom. X’differenza mill-proġetti li saru fil-lokal ġar tagħhom, is-Siġġiewi, proġetti li minnhom gawdew ir-residenti kollha u mhux sempliċiment tal-qalba. Mhux ta’ b’xejn li l-ex-Sindku ta’ Ħaż-Żebbuġ irrifjuta li jerġa’ jikkontesta, u ħeġġeġ lin-nies jivvutaw għal “future nadif ‘il bogħod mill-klikka li tkisser lir-raħal tagħna”.


Tidher ċara kif anke’ fil-Kunsilli Lokali l-Partit Nazzjonalista jrid jagħmel id-differenza, u diġa’ qiegħed jagħmilha. Pero’ din mhux l-unika raġuni għala l-vot tiegħek ta’ nhar is-Sibt għandu jkun għall-kandidati tal-Partit Nazzjonalista. Hemm raġunijiet oħra. Ftakar li Joseph Muscat ried iħassar dawn l-elezzjonijiet u jħalli l-istess Kunsilli għal 9 snin. Ftakar li ma kienx għall-Partit Nazzjonalista ma kienx ikollok l-opportunita’ issemma’ leħnek nhar is-Sibt. Ftakar li f’sentejn, dan il-Gvern għadu ma ġabx industrija waħda ġdida li ssarraf f’impjiegi ġodda għal uliedna, u l-unika mod kif qed jattakka l-problema tal-qagħad hija billi jħaddem aktar nies mal-Gvern u jżid il-piż fuqna u fuq it-taxxi tagħna. Ftakar li dan il-Gvern ma jħossx li int għandu jkun trasparenti miegħek, ma jħossx li ċ-ċittadin għandu d-dinjita’ tiegħu, u allura ma jarax għalfejn għandu jurieh il-kuntratti u l-ftehim li qed jiffirma f’ismu. Ftakar li f’sentejn dan il-Gvern inawgura biss proġett mibdija minn amministrazzjoni Nazzjonalista, fosthom il-Coast Road, l-isptar tal-onkoloġija, u l-interconnector li ser jinawgura illum, u ma beda u nieda l-ebda investiment jew proġett ta’ fejda ġdida. Ftakar li dan il-Gvern, filwaqt li ħaseb għal tal-qalba b’pagi fenomenali, lilek tak biss 58ċ fil-ġimgħa. U ftakar ukoll li dan il-Gvern qed idawwar il-ġustizzja rasa ‘l isfel, fejn min jiżbalja jsejjaħlu suldat tal-azzar, u min jinsab ħati u jeħel sentenza ta’ ħabs itih €85,000 fis-sena.



Din mhix kwistjoni ta’ pessimiżmu u ottimiżmu, imma kwistjoni ta’ realiżmu. Ejja ngħollu l-istandards u l-aspettattivi tagħna għax jixraqilna aħjar. Jixraqilna dinjita’. U ma jixraqilniex min itina bis-sieq u jippretendi li jixtrina b’€35 lejlet l-elezzjoni. Ejja nibdew bil-Kunsilli Lokali, u nuru li dan il-poplu jrid jara d-differenza.

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