After local council fiascos, PN issues new policy for its councillors

“We were not afraid to confront those who did wrong,” Gonzi said, referring to former Sliema mayor Nikki Dimech’s expulsion from the party.

The document – entitled ‘Solidarity in the community: towards a strengthening of the community, where nobody is left behind’ – is a policy of 15 objectives for Nationalist councillors, and comes in the wake of several embarrassing revelations and criminal investigations that led to the resignation of two mayors.

Addressing PN activists present at the grassroots meeting, Gonzi said that local councils should not be independent of political party representation. “The work local councils have and are still doing proves they should not be independent of political parties.”

PN secretary-general Paul Borg Olivier told activists there were “no compromises for the party, where respect to the law and the interest of the residents are involved,” referring to the Dimech expulsion.

He writes in his foreword that the party took “immediate action when it resulted one of its local representatives had fell foul of the law. The PN demands the highest ethical and moral standards from its representatives.”

Included in the policy document are the 10 values “every Nationalist councillor must embrace throughout his office”, amongst them the ‘full respect for life’, ‘nurturing the family’, and ‘the value of loyalty.’

The document reminds PN councillors they are “public persons” who must show “humility” and be “at people’s disposal.”

It also calls for an analysis of those councillors who do not seek re-election after one term of office, and how new candidates can be found to run for office. “The Party is strong as much as it is able to find persons who are of a strong character and have integrity,” the document reads.

It also recommends meetings that will train councillors in public speaking, and ‘best practices’ for councillors in minority councils.

The document also asks PN councillors to allocate time for paid-up party members, for meetings inside the local PN committee club. Councillors will also have an electoral manifesto, and a follow-up report on their accomplishments.

The document highlights national politics can only improve, if it starts at community level. It was suggested that co-ordination between Nationalist councillors and Cabinet ministers and MPs should be improved for this to happen. It also adds that networking should be extended to all parts of the party: “elected councillors cannot work independently as if the party does not exist.”

The policy document was coordinated by Nationalist MP Edwin Vassallo, who is also the PN’s director for local councils.

“This plan is a witness of the political vision which the Nationalist Party is adopting to address the needs of our communities today,” Vassallo said. “Social inclusion is our aim to make each and every person feel they belong to the community.”